Anyone's for the taking

 

Photo credit : usbuzz7.blogspot.com

And this year’s Ballon d’or goes to....., Lionel Messi. Hats off to the phenomenal Argentine once again, but was there really any doubt? After a stellar season with Barcelona, raking in his usual high tally of goals while propelling Barcelona to la Liga and Champion’s league triumphs, Messi’s fifth ballon d’or was long overdue. Once again, Cristiano Ronaldo had to settle for second place in what has become an annual duopoly.

Messi and Ronaldo have been at it for years, and their stranglehold on football’s greatest individual accolade shows no signs of letting up soon even if Neymar tries to suggest otherwise.  Angel Di Maria once joked that they should be 2 Ballon d’ors, one for Messi and Ronaldo to fight over and the other for the rest of the world. Such is the inevitability of either bagging it.

When Cristiano Ronaldo bagged the award in 2013, it was to Frank Ribery’s consternation. It was expected that Ribery would scoop the prize as his exploits steered Bayern to a famous treble that year. Instead, Ronaldo’s goals carried the day, in particular his hat-trick against Sweden in a decisive world-cup play-off.  The Frenchman now holds the view that the award has lost its lustre, being decided on the basis of politics rather than player performances.  Manuel Neuer missing out on the award in 2014 only seemed to embolden his stance with club compatriot Philip Lahm also voicing his discontent by claiming that the Ballon d’or was just an award for strikers.

It can be exasperating when a prestigious honour appears to be reserved for a select few. It doesn’t drive footballers to raise their game but rather drives them to despair as they feel they will never have a shot no matter how well they play over the course of a season.

The polar opposite is taking place in England as the battle for the Premier league heats up. Seasons prior, the title was mainly between Manutd and Arsenal, then it became between Manutd and Chelsea, this season the race has been blown wide open. It’s been a game of musical chairs as Arsenal, Mancity and incredulously, Leicester City have swapped top-spot, with the current leaders Leicester threatening to topple the natural order of things.

Their fairy-tale run doesn’t looking like bursting its bubble anytime soon, as the probability of Leicester City being crowned champions grows larger by the day. At exactly the same period last year, Leicester were staring relegation in the face, now they are dreaming of a league title. They have won over neutrals with their attacking brand of football, and dismissed the long held belief that the league is only for a few teams.

 To say, it has been exciting is an underestimate, any of the Leicester, Mancity and arsenal trio are in with a shout. Any!!! You could dare add Tottenham to the mix. It’s been breath-taking to watch and has been a far-cry from the despair of Philip Lahm and Ribery regarding the Ballon d’or. That the much vaunted prize in English football is anyone’s for the taking has taken everyone by surprise. Leagues around Europe don’t see this competition and are used to the one-horse race of Bayern in Germany, PSG in France, Juventus in Italy even if Napoli are going strong. It just doesn’t happen that often, so it must come as a surprise when an even bigger prize is anyone’s for the taking.

It isn’t what we are accustomed to. We’re used to a glorious honour being for a few but what if the script was flipped? What if the ultimate prize was within touching distance for everybody? What if, unlike Lahm’s objections, different types of people could win it, not just strikers or high profile people! What if that prize wasn’t earned on merit but given by Grace!!! Illogical, It doesn’t make sense but that is God’s way being higher than our ways, when he made the gift of salvation anyone’s for the taking.

Our best efforts were never going to be enough. Our good works alone were always light years away from his perfect holiness. Our sins just distanced ourselves from him (Isaiah 59:2). Knowing that like Ribery and Lahm we would often ask “Why bother?”, he gave us a free pass. He gave us the ultimate prize in Jesus his son, through whom the penalty for our sins was paid in full and not only that but we acquired the the right to become children of God.(John 1:12-13)

A child of God is as big as they come if not the biggest!!! Drawing our identity from God, embracing his love and peace and what do we have to do to get it, just believe in him!!! Only believe and as Leicester are showing us, anyone can believe. The drug addict can believe, the alcoholic man can believe, the promiscuous lady can believe. They and so many more can believe that God loved the world so much that he sent his one and only son to die so that anyone who puts his trust and faith in the son may be saved and have eternal life.(John 3:16)

It really is anyone’s for the taking. Like Leicester’s charge to the EPL, knows not of a past of relegation, so too do we, we don’t have to be burdened by our dark past. Jesus welcomes you with your chequered history and showers you with love and a new identity in him that can enable you to soar to heights you never dreamed possible. That’s the power of his gift of salvation and the best part is, it’s anyone’s for the taking.