I normally see the likes of Ronaldo, 2013 or Andriy Shevchenko, 2004 are rated as the most underdeserving Ballon dor winners.
Nedved. Without a doubt.
Lionel Messi, in the year Lewandowski scored all those goals. Maybe 3-4y ago
Copa America win, best player, golden boot, most assists vs Euro group stage exit
Messi was still better on almost every important metric. Get over it
Lewa should have won it over Pessidoggy solely because he deserved one the last year had they not cancelled it
I think it’s going to be Luka Modric in 2018. He was great as a midfielder and did really well that season both for Real Madrid and for his country in the World Cup Croatia, but so did Ronaldo. He scored a hat-trick in the World Cup, played really well for Portugal. And he was the leading top scorer in UCL and scored a bicycle kick against a prestigious club like Juventus. And yet he was snubbed.
I think the reason he was snubbed was because he was leaving Real Madrid at the time and Perez didn’t want a player that doesn’t play for Madrid to win. It’s still crazy to this day how Ronaldo didn’t even win the Pukas award or the Ballon D’Or that season.
Has to be Messi 2023. Yeah there’s a lot of questionable winners that everyone is bringing up (Ronaldo vs Ribery, Messi vs Sneidjer, Modric vs Greizman, etc) but at least you can make a solid argument for those questionable winners. It would be hard to say Modric doesn’t deserve a Balon d Or. But Messi winning this year is truly astonishing… in a bad way
I am sure Messi would be devastated when he reads your opinion. But the tears seem real. Be well.
Messi WC will be more remembered than Man City treble.
Exactly why this award has lost it credibility and is simply a popularity pagent now.
When was it credible to you? There’s nothing new about the award…it’s been happening since the ‘60s
holistic view
Haaland had more goals, thats literally it. Unless Haaland massively improves, he wont even be better than Messi’s shadow.
seems like you don’t want or understand a lot of football and only look at goals and assists.
Seems like you didn’t watch Messi at PSG where he wasn’t even top 3 players when all of them were fit, and even dragged a couple of players performance in the gutter
Messi over Sneidjer 2010
Not over Sneijder but over Milito IMO; seriously, if they gave it to Benzema for being a savage in the UCL knockouts, then Milito was that and more, even scored in the final and on the last matchday of Serie A to give Inter the league. And what does he get for that? Nothing. Not even a nomination.
People forget that in the past the award was yearly not seasonal.
Sneijder got to his normal level past WC while Messi… got his casual 20+/10+ (LL/CL) in the autumn. Generally whole Inter team got to ground level.
Messi wouldn’t receive 2023 award on 2010 rules as everyone would ignore Miami part (he would probably receive 2022 if voting was moved to cover WC etc).
People downvoting you forget how hard it was for Inter after Mourinho departed. Inter’s squad had a last dance, and it was left to Eto’o/Zanetti to pick up the scraps on an aging underperforming squad.
6 goals vs 15 goals tho
Probably due to the World Cup but he should have been in top 10
Pls tell me why did Zidane won in 1998, R9 won in 2002, Cannavaro in 2006 etc….they all gave great World Cup performances and won the Ballon d’Or correspondingly
If you are talking about individual stats then Messi is in Top 5 for Goals and Assists in 2022/23 season and won Ligue 1 whilst being the Top Assister in the league
A lot of things are going for Messi and Håland didn’t do anything in the semis and final of every tournament he played in 2022/23 season…whereas Messi scored a brace in a WC final…even Maradona couldn’t do that…
Messi won the better trophy, has individual stats and gave world class performances in the most decisive games…nuff said
Let me guess, Haaland deserves it for his goals but Messi isnt top 5 because goals and assists aren’t everything? Would love to understand your logic
He also won a treble which is pretty important lmao
Messi 2023
Nedved
Arsenal only beat one top half side away that season. Henry scored two goals away to top half sides that seasons. Arsenal lost the league because of their away form winning eight away, drawing seven and losing four of the eighteen away games. Losses to Blackburn, utd, Everton and Southampton and draws away at Chelsea, spurs, Newcastle and Liverpool killed Arsenals title defence.
Henry didn’t deserve to be European footballer of the year because he was a he didn’t do enough away to make his side champions.
If one win away against top half sides isn’t good enough to make Arsenal champions don’t try and act like Henry two goals away against top half side is good enough to make him champion. He wasn’t good enough.
A supreme player would have scored and dragged his team to wins when Arsenal dropped points away to the big rivals Chelsea, spurs, Liverpool, utd,
Or them rougher physical sides like Everton, Bolton and Blackburn.
No striker has won European football of the year with less goals away against top half sides. Van Basten, Weah, Ronaldo, Shevchenko, Messi, Ronaldo, Baggio all managed it.
Only one I can think off who didn’t manage it is Micheal Owen in 00/01 but Owen scored a hatrick away for England in a qualifier against Germany and scored two goals in the FA cup final. Owen shook the world with them goals in them massive games. Henry didn’t score in them massive games either!
Michael Owen in 2001 and Messi in 2023,2010,2021 and 2019
Nedved 2003
Messi definitely didn’t deserve all of them. Most, yes, definitely not all.
Same as last week when this got asked, and the week before, and the week before that.
Ronaldo was easily the best player in the world in 2013
I respect Messi but man 2021 and 2023 were so unfair. He was definitely not the best player in the world for these years
Ronaldo 2016
Cannavaro 06, never been the best defender in the world. Got it just because ZiZu head-butted a dude. If ZiZu couldn’t get it, Buffon deserved it more than Cannavaro.
Cannavaro was top class. This is a hot take. I’m glad a defender one it - the award is so skewed towards attacking players.
Well zizous headbutt it was quite costly and I’m sure it didn’t help that the voters are journalists
Was Van Dijk the best defender in the world before 2019?
Sammer 96 Messi 2023 Zidane 98 R9 2002