Ballon D'Or

[YNWA14]

http://www.marca.com/en/football/international-football/2016/09/16/57dbe355ca4741697a8b45c6.html

FIFA's control of the Ballon d'Or will come to an end this year as France Football announced that it is ending its partnership with the world governing body.The existing agreement in the coronation of the best footballer in the world is set to be abolished as the magazine prepares to take back control of the process beginning next year.

Players and coaches were allowed to join journalists in deciding nominations for the best players but France Football's plans will see only representatives of the media charged with electing the game's outstanding candidates.

Erstwhile FIFA president Sepp Blatter brokered a 15 million euros rights deal with Editions Philippe Amaury, publishers of France Football, in 2010 but the deal is not set to be renewed when it expires at the end of this year. As such, all branding of the FIFA Ballon d'Or will be removed from the current format.

This should be interesting. A lot of people think it means that there's a good chance we could see the stranglehold Ronaldo/Messi have on the current iteration broken. Someone I think tallied it and these would have been the winners under the new/old format:

2010: Sneijder
2011: Messi
2012: Messi
2013: Ribery
2014: Ronaldo
2015: Messi

That would have been better. I remember being pretty upset in 2010.

Click to read more...

 

[Luigi Habs]

Messi and Ronaldo have been clearly well and above everyone else since many years. People wanted to see other winners just because. Even in 2010 no body could have said with a straight face that Sneijder was the better player over Messi even if he had won a treble with Inter and made it to the WC final.

 

[YNWA14]

Having the best year though doesn't equate to being the best player. Sneijder was instrumental in Inter winning the treble, carried that form into the World Cup and if Robben wasn't such a choker back then he would have delivered two goals for Robben to score against Spain that very well should have won them the WC. He came up big in pretty much every big game he played that year. I mean honestly, he didn't even make top 3? lol

Ribery similarly is obviously not on the level of Ronaldo or Messi, but he had a better year than they did, won more, and performed at an extremely high level throughout. Keep in mind that, at the end of the day, it's still a team game and the biggest accomplishments are not individual (ie. who scored most, etc.). Being the biggest contributor to many trophies in one year should have a big weight to it.

 

[Rexor]

Yeah, journalists know more about football than players and coaches. Makes total sense to me.

Like it or not, Messi and Ronaldo have been on a level above others for quite some time now. We shouldn't be giving awards to lesser players just for the sake of novelty.

 

[Evilo]

Yes they do, because some of the coaches and players don't even know who the players are.
Go and find the votes, you'll see.

 

[YNWA14]

Ronaldo and Messi being the best players, or the most talented, doesn't mean they always have the best calendar year or season. It's their consistency and talent that make them a cut above the rest, but realistically on any given day there are players that can outshine them even in head to head games. Sometimes really good players put that all together and have fantastic seasons (ala Sneijder and Ribery).

Winning the Ballon d'Or doesn't mean they're better than Messi or Ronaldo, only that they've enjoyed a better year.

 

[Luigi Habs]

Ronaldo and Messi being the best players, or the most talented, doesn't mean they always have the best calendar year or season. It's their consistency and talent that make them a cut above the rest, but realistically on any given day there are players that can outshine them even in head to head games. Sometimes really good players put that all together and have fantastic seasons (ala Sneijder and Ribery).

Winning the Ballon d'Or doesn't mean they're better than Messi or Ronaldo, only that they've enjoyed a better year.

Yes they always have been the best statistically and on actual performance on the pitch. Really it hasn't been even close to how much those 2 have been totally dominant and well above the rest. It's only when someone somewhat have a decent season and win a couple of trophies that people start complaining.

They are still the undisputed top 2 although Neymar and Suarez are tightening the gap IMO.

 

[Evilo]

I'm totally with Curt on this one (yeah **** happens).
Ballon d'Or has become a joke.
Not that it was perfect before either (let's all laugh at 2006), but goal scoring records weigh too much these days.

 

[les Habs]

2010: Messi
2011: Messi
2012: Messi
2013: Messi
2014: Messi
2015: Messi

 

[Ceremony]

Yeah, journalists know more about football than players and coaches. Makes total sense to me.

Like it or not, Messi and Ronaldo have been on a level above others for quite some time now. We shouldn't be giving awards to lesser players just for the sake of novelty.

If Scott Brown is allowed to vote on it then it should be invalidated

 

[bluesfan94]

Ronaldo and Messi being the best players, or the most talented, doesn't mean they always have the best calendar year or season. It's their consistency and talent that make them a cut above the rest, but realistically on any given day there are players that can outshine them even in head to head games. Sometimes really good players put that all together and have fantastic seasons (ala Sneijder and Ribery).

Winning the Ballon d'Or doesn't mean they're better than Messi or Ronaldo, only that they've enjoyed a better year.

Not arguing, just wondering: what is the actual criteria for the Ballon D'Or?

 

[YNWA14]

Not arguing, just wondering: what is the actual criteria for the Ballon D'Or?

Here's what it says on the wikipedia:

It is awarded based on votes from international media representatives and national team coaches and captains, who select the player they deem to have performed the best in the previous calendar year.

I mean, in 2010 Sneijder had 14 goals, 20 assists over the course of the calendar year (between club and country) and almost all of those were important in close games, many of which were in high pressure matches in the CL or the World Cup, he won the treble, and was Robben finishing two great through balls away from semi-carrying his team to a World Cup victory. Is he or was he more talented than Messi? Of course not. Was he more accomplished that year? Definitely. Did he have better performances in high pressure games? I'd say so, but I mean that's also a lot harder to compare especially from where they are positioned, but Sneijder was the life of that Inter team. Even many goals they scored were started from an outlet he created, or an open man he found. His ability to pick out a dangerous final third pass whether it was the final pass or not was unrivaled (and is still top drawer), and his set piece abilities are amazing as well.

 

[bluesfan94]

Yeah I read that on Wikipedia but I was wondering if we knew it formally.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

2010: Messi
2011: Bale
2012: Bale
2013: Bale
2014: Bale
2015: Bale

I can do it to.

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

Shortlist being unveiled right now.

 

[Ceremony]

If Scott Brown is allowed to vote on it then it should be invalidated

If Gordon "Shorty" Strachan is allowed to vote on it then it should be invalidated

 

[Power Man]

Mahrez nominated

He isnt gonna win it, but still

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

Rui Patricio on the shortlist is hysterical, amongst others.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Yes they always have been the best statistically and on actual performance on the pitch. Really it hasn't been even close to how much those 2 have been totally dominant and well above the rest. It's only when someone somewhat have a decent season and win a couple of trophies that people start complaining.

They are still the undisputed top 2 although Neymar and Suarez are tightening the gap IMO.

I'm with you on this one. For the longest time Messi and Ronaldo have been so far ahead of everyone else it's clear that they would and should be the winners.

 

[mexicohockey]

Rui Patricio on the shortlist is hysterical, amongst others.

The list is a complete joke! No Özil, Boateng or Kane?

 

[Power Man]

No Busquets
No Ozil
No Sanchez
No Benzema

wtf lol

 

[Corto]

No Busquets
No Ozil
No Sanchez
No Benzema

wtf lol

Yeah there's some headscratchers there for sure.

Any why on Earth does Kroos have better odds than Modric?
Yeah neither's gone come close, but still...

 

[xavi4life]

The list is a complete joke! No Özil, Boateng or Kane?

Kane?