“Take the golden ball” - When Mikel revealed how Lionel Messi reacted to him accusing Argentina star of stealing award at U20 World Cup final

Back in 2024, former Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel revealed how Lionel Messi reacted after he accused the Argentine icon of stealing the Golden Ball award from him at the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

It’s been over 20 years since an 18-year-old Messi lit up the global stage when he came up against Mikel’s Nigeria in the final of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Lionel Messi, who went on a rampage by scoring in all matches in the knockout stages of the competition, singlehandedly steered Los Pibes to glory by scoring a brace in the final to give his side a 2-1 victory over the Flying Eagles. His two strikes in the final saw him finish the competition as the top scorer, with six goals, and he received the Golden Ball award as the best player ahead of Mikel, who picked up the Silver Ball.

Speaking on his Obi One Podcast, Mikel revealed he was furious with Messi for beating him to the award, but the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner responded sportingly, telling him the decision was out of his hands and made by the tournament’s selection committee.

“When we lost against Argentina in the U-20 World Cup, Messi won the Golden Ball and I won the Silver Ball. At the end of the coronation, I told him, ‘You stole the Golden Ball from me. I deserved it, I was better than you’. Messi smiled and said to me, ‘I have nothing to do with the matter, the Committee is the one who chooses,’” Mikel recalled.

The former Chelsea man then shared how Lionel Messi wanted to swap awards with him after seeing him frustrated at missing out on the top prize. He added:

“We went out and I found him again near the locker room. He said to me, ‘Take the Golden Ball and give me the Silver Ball if you want’. I answered: ‘I can’t, you deserve it. I was just angry, thank you.’”

John Obi Mikel admitted Lionel Messi ‘really deserved’ Golden Ball Award

After their 2005 meeting, John Obi Mikel and Lionel Messi reunited their rivalry on the international stage but at senior level. The pair first met in the 2014 World Cup before meeting in the 2018 edition.

However, it was in the 2028 edition in Russia where Messi remembered his humorous 2005 interaction with Mikel, with the latter continuing:

“We met again at the 2018 World Cup. He said to me ‘Hi, Golden Boy. I still have the photo of us together at the coronation.’ I smiled and said, ‘During that period until now, you have convinced me that you really deserved it. You are the best in the world, Leo.'”

Edited by Ezekiel Olamide