He won his first ballon dor at 22 and now his seventh at 34.
He plays a sport in which he must run for 90 minutes (as opposed to the 6 minutes of actual (non running) playing time each game, for say Tom Brady).
He obviously does not use steroids because having a LeBron physique is useless in a sport that requires precision technique.
But... he's meek and humble looking... and from Argentina... so even if the rest of the planet celebrates him, we pay him no respect.
Not that he gives a shit.
He's far more appreciated world wide and he's far wealthier than almost any of our super athletes.
Link: https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/sports/lionel-messi-wins-seventh-career-ballon-dor/3424161/