While Lionel Messi will, save immense surprise, lift his 7th Ballon d’Or, some observers recall that other players, less adored than Lionel Messi, deserve to be highlighted.
This time around, there will be no suspense. Even when he doesn’t win a single title in a calendar year, Lionel Messi is one of the big favorites for each Ballon d’Or France Football. Since he won the Copa del Rey with the Barça and especially the Copa América with theArgentine in 2021, the six-time winner is therefore on his way to a new individual distinction, next December.
But the future coronation of the Argentine genius does not please everyone. Ruud Gullit, questioned on this subject, would prefer to highlight other players than the star scorers: “ It’s a bit the same story as Baresi’s. He could not win the Ballon d’Or despite his level. Players who score goals always steal the show. It would be nice if, for once, someone who is not in the limelight could win. Someone like Kanté played so well, he deserves it too ».
Jorginho and Lewandowski on the podium?
Ballon d’Or 87, the former midfielder of AC Milan and the Dutch selection recalls that his Milan teammate Franco Baresi, central defender of legend of Italian football, has never obtained this trophy awarded by France Football. Moreover, at the time, the Ballon d’Or rewarded only the best European players playing on the Old Continent.
This year, Jorginho is the other favorite at the Ballon d’Or for winning the Champions League with Chelsea and the Euro with the Italian Nazionale. His teammate N’Golo Kanté, breathtaking with the Blues in the LDC, pays the failed Euro of the France team. Robert Lewandowski, who would have deserved the award last year, and the sparkling Karim Benzema aim for the podium at the expense of the five-time Ballon d’Or Cristiano Ronaldo.
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