Lionel Messi deserved the Golden Ball. Period.

He was the best player at the 2014 World Cup - this, despite Argentina’s 1-0 loss to Germany in Sunday’s final at the Maracana. 

That should be enough for everyone. But, as evidenced by the onslaught of negative reaction as he walked into the stands and accepted the Golden Ball honor, it isn't.

That’s the unfair predicament Messi will always find himself in as the best player in the world. For the greatest since Diego Maradona, nothing will ever be enough. We have greatness right in front of our eyes, the kind we may never see again, and we demand more. 

He didn't win the World Cup, and thus, he is a failure. All of his wonderful moments are worthless because of Mario Gotze’s 113th minute winner. Maradona thinks FIFA made a mistake in bestowing his compatriot with the award. Much of the football world agrees with him. 

They’re all wrong.

His four goals (50 percent of Argentina's offensive output) put him third in the race for the Golden Boot. The 21 chances he created were more than any other player, despite the fact that entire schemes were put in place with one focus and one focus alone: stop Lionel Messi at all costs. Does he drift out of matches at times? Absolutely. So did everyone else.

[Courtesy: Reuters]

The Golden Ball trophy is not awarded based on what we expect all the players to do. Messi would never win in that case, because he is asked to move mountains and part seas. Did he live up to all of the expectations? No. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t the best player.

There’s a disconnect between what we expect Messi to accomplish at all times, and what is actually possible for any one man. He was not at his very best in the knockout stages, and he should have scored early in the second half against the Germans. There were faults in his game, in his tournament. Nobody is perfect. Maradona wasn’t perfect. Neither was Pele. Why do we throw our arms up in protest when Messi proves that he is human? 

Perhaps it’s because the man puts so much pressure on himself.

Messi, who looked embarrassed to meet president Sepp Blatter and accept the tiny golden trophy last night, admits that the individual award left him feeling empty.

"The significance of winning the Golden Ball means nothing," the despondent star told reporters after the loss. "The only thing I wanted to win was the World Cup."

Argentina came agonizingly close, because the 27-year-old put the team on his back. At its core, the Albiceleste are distinctly mediocre. Lucas Biglia started in midfield. Martin Demichelis and Federico Fernandez were key members of the squad. Without Angel di Maria and with Sergio Aguero clearly lacking fitness, it was Messi or bust. He delivered.

Without him, the Argentine players are watching the knockout stages from their respective couches. Bosnia-Herzegovina would have been celebrating their first World Cup win in their tournament debut. Iran would have been awash with jubilation over a historic point. Switzerland may have been in the quarterfinal of the World Cup.

It’s about time we celebrate what he did, and not what he should have done.

Arjen Robben was great in Brazil. He should have the most legitimate qualm about the award snub. Did he overshadow Messi, though? He couldn’t get his team over the hump in the semifinal, yet you don’t hear anybody criticizing him for that. It’s the most blatant example of the double-standard Messi has to deal with.

James Rodriguez scored the most goals (6) and became the new darling of world football. People are always enamored by something new. Lionel Messi is the best player on earth, but we’ve seen his act before. He’s great so often that it’s boring. Enter Rodriguez. Young, photogenic and boasting a magical left foot, his six goals came as a surprise to many who simply hadn't seen him play for extended periods of time at the club level with Monaco. He was a fresh face, one to break the monotony of Ronaldo and Messi. He also couldn't get his team beyond the quarterfinal stage.

Though Toni Kroos has an argument and Bastian Schweinsteiger was an absolute colossus in the final against Argentina, Thomas Muller was the catalyst for this German side. He made scoring look easy, finishing with five goals. He was also completely ineffective against France and Argentina. He looked great against Brazil. You would have looked good playing against that pathetic defense, too.

Germany were the best team in the tournament, bar none. They were fully deserving of lifting the trophy last night and basking in the celebrations that ran deep into the night. The sum of their parts far exceeded any other squad in Brazil.

Thomas Muller was just another member of that great team. An important member, to be sure, but no more so than the two aforementioned midfielders, or defenders Mats Hummels and Philipp Lahm. He may not have been the best player on his team in this tournament.

Lionel Messi was. He put 22 other players and over 41 million Argentine’s on his back. Tired legs and niggling muscle problems slowed him down, and he kept on powering through, delivering moments of brilliance that surpassed any other along the way.

He fell short of his ultimate goal. But that doesn't change the fact that he was fully deserving of the Golden Ball award.

The two honors are very different. It’s about time we stop treating them as one.