FOOTBALL
6:56 AM
Ballon d'Or 2018 Announced, Has the Award Lost It's Credibility?
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| Ballon d'Or 2018 | Image Source: Poschimbongo |
The Domination Over Ballon d'Or of The Football's Greatest Duo Ends as Croatian Wizard Luka Modric Claims The Title
As it happened in the FIFA awards, the Croatian wizard Luka Modric breaks the decade lasting domination of the Football's Greatest duo play over the Ballon d'Or award of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. There were rumors, that a Frenchmen was going to claim the award this term but the Croatian wizard Luka Modric has won the Ballon d'Or 2018 trophy. He had reasons to compete for the title but was he really the best player in the world? Let's discuss.
Has Ballon d'Or losing its credibility?
Luka Modric who has won the UEFA Champions League title with Real Madrid for the third straight time and had a wonderful World Cup this summer where he helped his nation to reach the finals of the World Cup, has won both the FIFA best player and Ballon d'Or 2018 award.
But was he the best player of the last season or was it media propaganda that only forwards can win these individual trophies? If it was propaganda then the example of Luka Modric can be seriously questioned over these trophies. Okay, it's a World Cup year too, so let's get back to World Cup year examples:
EXAMPLE 1, Ballon d'Or 2014:
2014 was a World Cup year like 2018, and the Ballon d'Or winner was Cristiano Ronaldo and he had a bad campaign at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil where Portugal did not qualify for the knockout stages of the World Cup campaign. So, in this case, the World Cup performance of Cristiano Ronaldo didn't count.
All thought he had a terrific campaign in the Champions League 2013-2014 and with his club Real Madrid, he also had won the Copa Del Ray. He scored a staggering 51 goals in that season and over the calendar year most of the time he was consistent and that is what it should be " a Ballon d'Or winner should be consistent". But in Modric's case from the 2018-2019 season, his performance rate gone only downwards. He is definitely not the best player in the world.
Talking about one or two propaganda that helped Luka Modric to win both the award can be like this:
- why always a Ballon d'Or winner has to be a forward.
- In World Cup year the World Cup performances should count.
- Or the third option can be the media people needed a change as the award has been won by Messi and Ronaldo for the last 10 years.
EXAMPLE 2, Ballon d'Or 2010:
Our second example goes back to the year 2010 where it was the Argentine superstar Lionel Messi won the prestigious trophy. Where he had an ordinary World Cup under the superstar coach Diego Maradona but in that calendar year Lionel Messi scored staggering 53 goals in that calendar year. In this case, Lionel Messi also was consistent throughout the calendar year and in his case, we all know that Lionel Messi's football is more than only scoring goals. He had consistency in his performances and he won it.
Now let's come to the main topic in 2010 the Champions League winner was Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan where Wesley Sneijder was one of the protagonists of that special campaign. The attacking midfielder from the Netherlands had a wonderful 2010 World Cup too and he helped his team to reach the finals of the campaign like Luka Modric did with his nation Croatia. Sneijder scored 5 goals and assisted one time in the World Cup 2010 but strangely he wasn't even there in the Ballon d'Or podium. Here the performances in the Champions League and World Cup didn't help Sneijder for these individual awards.
There are more examples available but it does not really matter. But the question still remains ''Has these individual awards lost its credibility?"
There are more examples available but it does not really matter. But the question still remains ''Has these individual awards lost its credibility?"
WHERE DO MESSI AND RONALDO FINISHES IN THIS TROPHY RANKING:
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| Cristiano Ronaldo |
Cristiano Ronaldo: The goal machine from Portugal had an amazing year individually for club and country in this calendar year. He has scored 44 goals and assisted 12 times in only 46 appearances in this calendar year. That is the stat that many of World Class strikers can only dream of. He along with his arch-rival Lionel Messi has gone past the level of world-class five years back. After having a wonderful season individually Cristiano Ronaldo was voted to the second spot at the Ballon d'Or 2018.
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| Lionel Messi |
Lionel Messi: The Argentine talisman had an impressive campaign personally. He took a Neymar less struggling Barcelona to a double-winning season and the contribution he had throughout the whole year was something really special. Lionel Messi was voted the fifth-best player at this Ballon d'Or 2018 and the fifth-best player according to this award had quite remarkable stats to look at. Lionel Messi scored 45 goals and assisted 23 times in 50 appearances in the calendar year 2018. He is the European Golden Boot winner. Yes, the thing that backfired to get him the votes was the misery at this World Cup but was it only was Messi's fault?
Conclusion: We have mentioned our point but now it is the time for the people to decide how much this Ballon d'Or was related to the best player in the world.
