(SPOILER WARNING)2018 Ballon d'Or final list has leaked

[Corto]

He can be brilliant in the Ligue 1 all he wants, and I am certainly not among those that detract that league, but it is clearly much less in the public eye than La Liga or the PL, much as he has done to bring it more attention.

No PSG player is going to win B d'Or unless they have a serious CL run (semis at the very least).
No Juve player is going to win B d'Or unless they have a serious CL run (including Ronaldo).

Like it or not, La Liga is so much ahead of every other league, but even then - Messi's chances get shot if Barca goes out before reaching at least the semis in the CL.
The EPL is the closest because of exposure and money (not that close in quality), though outside of City and Liverpool I would say other top-6 clubs are a tier below the very best in Europe. Even so, no City player is going to win the B d'Or unless they make a serious run in the CL.

City hammering Burnley or West Ham 4-0 and 6-1 does jack all unless they make a run in Europe.
Same for PSG and their players. Same for Juve (with the added difference Juventus - nor any Italian team - run up the score... 2 up and they glide the game home, it's just a different culture, but Juve is still dominating and their Serie A title is a "gimme" - not a fantastic achievement).
And same for Bayern up until this season.

I really don't think I'm being controversial here.
You need results in the only best-on-best competition to win awards - and it's not like Neymar or some of these favorites are playing on Sevilla so it'd be a surprise, most of them are playing on superclubs that are all considered one of the CL favorites.

The CL is the Stanley Cup of football. Domestic leagues are nice (or awesome, depending which league), but if you want international recognition, you need to do well in the biggest international competition.
It really is that simple.
And outside of Messi and Ronaldo breaking records and putting up ridiculous numbers are the only exceptions, but even those two get their chances hurt if their teams fail to win (especially in comparison to one another).

 

[maclean]

No PSG player is going to win B d'Or unless they have a serious CL run (semis at the very least).
No Juve player is going to win B d'Or unless they have a serious CL run (including Ronaldo).

Like it or not, La Liga is so much ahead of every other league, but even then - Messi's chances get shot if Barca goes out before reaching at least the semis in the CL.
The EPL is the closest because of exposure and money (not that close in quality), though outside of City and Liverpool I would say other top-6 clubs are a tier below the very best in Europe. Even so, no City player is going to win the B d'Or unless they make a serious run in the CL.

City hammering Burnley or West Ham 4-0 and 6-1 does jack all unless they make a run in Europe.
Same for PSG and their players. Same for Juve (with the added difference Juventus - nor any Italian team - run up the score... 2 up and they glide the game home, it's just a different culture, but Juve is still dominating and their Serie A title is a "gimme" - not a fantastic achievement).
And same for Bayern up until this season.

I really don't think I'm being controversial here.
You need results in the only best-on-best competition to win awards - and it's not like Neymar or some of these favorites are playing on Sevilla so it'd be a surprise, most of them are playing on superclubs that are all considered one of the CL favorites.

The CL is the Stanley Cup of football. Domestic leagues are nice (or awesome, depending which league), but if you want international recognition, you need to do well in the biggest international competition.
It really is that simple.
And outside of Messi and Ronaldo breaking records and putting up ridiculous numbers are the only exceptions, but even those two get their chances hurt if their teams fail to win (especially in comparison to one another).

Agreed, no coincidence Ronaldo got his most recent ones when Real won the CL, Messi before when Barca was cleaning up there or at least going almost all the way. The comparison to the NHL trophies is apt, with the difference being that the Ballon d'Or doesn't HAVE to be like that, it COULD do more to actually reflect who's the best player, which is what gets people upset about it.

 

[StevenF1919]

Neymar won't win anything until he moves to a real league. When was the last time someone won the Ballon D'or playing in the 5th/6th best league in the world?

 

[maclean]

Neymar won't win anything until he moves to a real league. When was the last time someone won the Ballon D'or playing in the 5th/6th best league in the world?

1991?
If they win the Champions League no one will care about that

 

[maclean]

1986 you had a player from Dynamo Kyiv win. Nobody cared what that league was ranked, it's about European competition success

 

[StevenF1919]

1991?
If they win the Champions League no one will care about that

For sure. The only chance he has is if he carries them to a CL. Either that or he leads Brazil to a World Cup. IMO Mbappe is far more likely to win the Ballon D'or. I'd be shocked if he didn't win at least a couple in his career.

 

[Evilo]

Sure it'll go with a CL performance or else he'll be ignored I agree.

 

[Evilo]

Neymar won't win anything until he moves to a real league. When was the last time someone won the Ballon D'or playing in the 5th/6th best league in the world?

6th?

Neymar can win it if they reach the CL final.

 

[StevenF1919]

6th?

Neymar can win it if they reach the CL final.

Just trolling

IMO they'll need to win it or he'll need to have a dominant performance in Europe and make the finals. Either that or he'll need to be so much better than any other player that he overcomes the relative weakness of his league and the lack of success of PSG in Europe. Not sure he has that in him. My guess is he ends his career with 0 Ballon D'ors.

 

[Pouchkine]

Neymar can win in 2019 if PSG win the CL and Brazil the Copa America. No World Cup and no Euro in 2019.

Shevchenko could have won it in 1999 if Kiev won the CL and Ukraine qualified for Euro. They were very close in both so it can be done for someone outside the very top leagues. Leading Bayern 3-1 in the 1/2 and 5min. away from qualifying for the Euro in front of France and Russia.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

The ignorance of Neymar is quite telling of his media treatment. He had a dominant year except for injuries (then again see KdB).

Please... My girlfriend is brazilian and he was shameful at the World Cup and became the victim of many parodies there. It would have been a total disgrace for him to win nevermind be top 3.

 

[les Habs]

This award is such a joke. Even ignoring the fact that Ronaldo has laughably won it how many times now, look at this season's list. Clearly it's about a top player whose team won something big or came close. Messi 5th? Neymar 12th?

I'll happily call out Modric. Here's a guy who didn't have that great a season in the league, though it's calendar year, but you have to factor in this season as well. The big thing though, Modric didn't even play 2/3 of the available league minutes he could have last season. Sure some of that was in the previous calendar year, but he didn't have nearly the club season other guys had going into the World Cup. Croatia was in a notably easier bracket in the World Cup as well. I can only assume that when Modric said "This award is for all the players who probably deserved to win it and didn't" that he's referring to Messi.

 

[Evilo]

See, there it is.
Nothing to do with football.
And I never said he should be winning nor in the top 3.

 

[les Habs]

And before anyone thinks this is solely about Messi, Griezmann for example is someone I'd have voted for ahead of Modric.

 

[S E P H]

I don't care if Modric was deserved or not, it is nice seeing a new winner besides the skewed hocus pocus of Ronaldo and Messi - I mentioned last season that neither of them were the best of Europe.

 

[les Habs]

I don't care if Modric was deserved or not, it is nice seeing a new winner besides the skewed hocus pocus of Ronaldo and Messi - I mentioned last season that neither of them were the best of Europe.

That's great, but somebody who thinks Milinkovic-Savic should have won shouldn't be taken seriously.

 

[StevenF1919]

That's great, but somebody who thinks Milinkovic-Savic should have won shouldn't be taken seriously.

lol what?

 

[Pouchkine]

That's great, but somebody who thinks Milinkovic-Savic should have won shouldn't be taken seriously.

Quit posting the usual crap, your boy Messi was terrible for Argentina once again just deal with it. Modric and Croatia just hammered Argentina and Messi along the way in case you forgot.

 

[StevenF1919]

Quit posting the usual crap, your boy Messi was terrible for Argentina once again just deal with it. Modric and Croatia just hammered Argentina and Messi along the way in case you forgot.

Uhhh...

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

I don't care if Modric was deserved or not, it is nice seeing a new winner besides the skewed hocus pocus of Ronaldo and Messi - I mentioned last season that neither of them were the best of Europe.

Messi was the best player in the world last season... He had the most goals and the most assists in Europe. Where was Kane who you thought had a chance? Or anyone else for that matter. Barca lost one game in the league ... ONE and he wasn't playing. Thank you, next.

Quit posting the usual crap, your boy Messi was terrible for Argentina once again just deal with it. Modric and Croatia just hammered Argentina and Messi along the way in case you forgot.

You back on crack again?

 

[les Habs]

lol what?

@S E P H drafted Milinkovic-Savic first overall in our draft and then said something about Gabriel Jesus being the best striker alive or something like that. It's OK though because I genuinely really like @S E P H . I mean he needs to ditch the lame avatars and I don't agree with a lot of his views on the game/players, but he's a great guy.

Quit posting the usual crap, your boy Messi was terrible for Argentina once again just deal with it. Modric and Croatia just hammered Argentina and Messi along the way in case you forgot.

LOL. Your post is so stupid that it made me laugh. Free like for that.

My "boy" (at least you didn't say "bro" or "homie") Messi isn't who I would have voted for. There's only one player who deserved it this year:



Maybe on the way to the grocery store for some bread Lewandowski's wife can swing by and drop off his manhood.

 

[S E P H]

Messi was the best player in the world last season... He had the most goals and the most assists in Europe. Where was Kane who you thought had a chance? Or anyone else for that matter. Barca lost one game in the league ... ONE and he wasn't playing. Thank you, next.

No he wasn't, he was top 3 which I won't argue, but there were a couple from EPL who were consistently better instead of a 4 month Messi fire.

@S E P H drafted Milinkovic-Savic first overall in our draft and then said something about Gabriel Jesus being the best striker alive or something like that. It's OK though because I genuinely really like @S E P H . I mean he needs to ditch the lame avatars and I don't agree with a lot of his views on the game/players, but he's a great guy.

It was like 7th, but who's counting and I would've still done it again. As for my views, truth hurts brah! And my avatars are GOAT, Persona 5 is one of the best games ever made. You're okay yourself to friend, I mean second place is first loser, but whatever.

 

[Ivan13]

This award is such a joke. Even ignoring the fact that Ronaldo has laughably won it how many times now, look at this season's list. Clearly it's about a top player whose team won something big or came close. Messi 5th? Neymar 12th?

I'll happily call out Modric. Here's a guy who didn't have that great a season in the league, though it's calendar year, but you have to factor in this season as well. The big thing though, Modric didn't even play 2/3 of the available league minutes he could have last season. Sure some of that was in the previous calendar year, but he didn't have nearly the club season other guys had going into the World Cup. Croatia was in a notably easier bracket in the World Cup as well. I can only assume that when Modric said "This award is for all the players who probably deserved to win it and didn't" that he's referring to Messi.

He obviously wasn't. He even said Xavi, Iniesta and Sneijder should've won it some years and he is right.

Love the butthurt crying all over the place.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

No he wasn't, he was top 3 which I won't argue, but there were a couple from EPL who were consistently better instead of a 4 month Messi fire.

Dude there's 10 months of football that has been played being on fire for 4 of them is almost half the year... And Messi hasn't been on fire just the past 4 months hell Stuani in la liga has more goals than him this season.

I would love to know who were this couple of EPL players that have been better than him... please say Kane. LOL

 

[Pouchkine]

Messi was the best player in the world last season... He had the most goals and the most assists in Europe. Where was Kane who you thought had a chance? Or anyone else for that matter. Barca lost one game in the league ... ONE and he wasn't playing. Thank you, next.



You back on crack again?

The best players shine in the big games. Messi once again wasn't there this year. The guy is Mario Lemieux with Barcelona vs. bad teams and Russ Courtnall vs. good teams.