Ballon d'Or Madness

We can speak about who the best footballer in the world is, and I am quite positive that most opinions will be strongly based on the undoubted ability of a certain attacking player.  But have we forgotten that this sport is a game with eleven different positions on the pitch? We're all aware of the astonishing offensive statistics both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo possess; subsequently granting them to be the underlying impetus; the ultimate force, throughout world football.  The pair have highly influenced this modern generation of football, taking it to a whole new level of unbelievable feats, goals, and twists and turns.  But does that automatically single them out to be the best players?

Eye on the prize - Messi hopes to reclaim the award

Critics suggest that Messi wouldn’t have been gifted the opportunity to bag a large portion of his goals, or even acquire the space, were it not for the quality of the majestic duo, Andres Iniesta and Xavi.  But when we analyse this star studded Barcelona squad, players that play a less flamboyant role; the guys who execute all the dirty work, are never really granted the same appreciation or praise - while the similar argument can be applied for Real Madrid, as for years their goalkeeper Iker Casillas, has many a time been their best player, saving his teams blushes time and again.  Yet the likelihood of these different types of players in these positions to win the highly revered Ballon d’Or award is bleak.  As far as I am concerned, it's a clear indication of how the game is geared towards the flair and swag of attackers. Even the the persistance and determination of Eric Abidal, stalwart Carles Puyol, gladiator-like Nemanja Vidic and absolute class of Alessandro Nesta cannot even be guaranteed a place in the top three.

Many will recall the 2006 ceremony that saw Fabio Cannavaro - a defender, claim the award, with Gigi Buffon the runner-up.  But that was solely based upon their phenomenal World Cup performances, where they lead their team to the coveted World Cup trophy after a catastrophic scandal that disgraced the sacred name of Italian football, not even the entire playing season. In the end, the award committee still got the decision dead wrong, as if a defender were to win the trophy, Nesta should have been the recipient.  He had a better year statistically and performance-wise for A.C Milan than Cannavaro, despite him missing the World Cup Finals due to an unfortunate injury. So it begs the question of how players should be fairly nominated for the award; do they give it to a player who had be consistently incredible throughout an entire season, but failed to make an appearance on the biggest front, or to the player who shone above the rest on the biggest front?

Goal scoring forwards have usually won the award

Before that, the closest that a goalkeeper ever came to trumping the award was third, in 2001 and 2002, and that was the legendary Oliver Kahn.  By no means am I suggesting that the numerous attacking winners haven't the talent nor provided the performance to win the award, but rationally speaking, what makes them more worthy winners than the defenders and goalkeepers in their respective teams?  Does this then mean that some positions are more favourable in football than others? Perhaps.  FIFA is presuming wrongfully that the knack for scoring goals and being able to dance around the ball makes one footballer more worthy than their defensive, hard-tackling counterpart.


If we analyse the past winners of the renowned Ballon d'Or, before 2006 the last defender to win the award was Matthias Sammer of Borussia Dortmund and Germany a whole decade prior.  We'd have to go a further six years back before we find the next gritty-typed player that acclaimed the award. 

  

This award should be specifically for attacking players if FIFA is going to be skeptical when honouring a player who isn't an offensive minded one.  It highlights what the majority of people who watch football (I dear not call them fans, as true fans of the sport know and appreciate the variety of different types of playing styles that comes with different positions) think of the sport.  Changing the status quo on this award by implementing a much needed even approach to the prize giving is desperately needed.  Awards of this magnitude bear deep sentiment to these world-class athletes, but it also synonymously limits and singles out specific types of players without having a predisposed criteria for fairly judging each and every one in their own aspect.

 

Do not misunderstand the gist of this article, Lionel Messi is the most talented footballer currently playing on the international stage and it's difficult to object that he rightfully deserves the award this time round based on his spectacular performances. However, I do not believe that the there is a fair measurement or assessment of who the best player for the previous year was, as the criteria for making such assessments are usually based on how many goals a player has scored or how much they had bedazzled defenders with their fanciful offensive play, vicariously ignoring the hard work of defenders and goalkeepers alike.

2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or shortlist:

Eric Abidal (France), Sergio Aguero (Argentina), Xabi Alonso (Spain), Dani Alves (Brazil), Karim Benzema (France), Iker Casillas (Spain), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), Cesc Fabregas (Spain), Diego Forlan (Uruguay), Andres Iniesta (Spain), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Muller (Germany), Nani (Portugal), Neymar (Brazil), Mesut Ozil (Germany), Gerard Pique (Spain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Wayne Rooney (England), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), Luis Suarez (Uruguay) David Villa (Spain), Xavi (Spain).

*Note that they are few defenders despite many solid performances by Vidic, Thiago Silva, Lucio and a few others.

What are your beliefs on the Ballon d'Or?

Posted in: 2011,ballon d'or,Fifa