If the Ballon d’Or is a crowning achievement, a player’s best season should be enough to secure it. But the question remains, who is more deserving? Let’s take a look at Cristiano Ronaldo, Franck Ribery, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta to see which one has the best season.
Cristiano Ronaldo
If you’re a football fanatic, you probably want to know whether Cristiano Ronaldo or Ribery deserves the Ballon d’Or more. But who should be crowned winner? The Ballon d’Or is decided by a ballot, with the votes being submitted by journalists and national-team coaches. Because of the low voter turnout last year, FIFA extended the voting period by two weeks. If Ribery won, it would be a case of “golden boot” football, disregarding the importance of winning a title, leadership, teamwork, and leadership.
It’s a strange comparison, but if you compare Cristiano Ronaldo’s incredible achievements with the three major awards he has won, Ribery would be a far better candidate. He was a key part of the World Cup, but he finished third. Ribery is certain that there was something strange that took place before the presentation ceremony. And what was the reason behind the unfair comparison?
Although Cristiano won the award in 2011, he finished behind Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric in the previous year. Despite the similarities, Ribery’s outstanding season made him a worthy winner, but his teammate’s performance and treble-winning campaign are much stronger. In fact, Cristiano’s teammate’s season has been hailed as one of the best in history.
While Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or, Ribery is a much better candidate. He helped Bayern win the Champions League and the Uefa Super Cup last year, and he also provided 30 assists last season. And Ribery missed the World Cup due to injury. Therefore, Ribery’s outstanding year at Bayern makes him a much more worthy candidate for the award.
Franck Ribery
In the 2013 FIFA World Player of the Year award ceremony, Arjen Robben and Lionel Messi were given the honours, but Franck Ribery believes that he deserves it more. The midfielder has been at the peak of his powers throughout his time at Bayern Munich. The man of the match award at the Champions League final was won by Arjen Robben, while Ribery was runner-up to Messi. The controversy surrounding Ribery’s award is understandable, though his feelings are clearly not.
Although the criteria for the Ballon d’Or award is undecided, Ribery was one of the key players in Bayern Munich’s historic quintuple in 2013. In contrast, Ronaldo’s limitations were exposed in some of the most difficult tests. Although Ribery was unable to match Ronaldo’s level of skill, he did manage to make his presence felt in most of his games.
The 2013 Ballon d’Or ceremony was a close race, and Ribery feels that he was unfairly overlooked. The German international was instrumental in Bayern’s triple-winning season and was shortlisted with Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi. However, Ribery still feels cheated. And in spite of his excellent performances, he didn’t win a single trophy.
After Cristiano Ronaldo’s success at Real Madrid, he won the best player award, ending Lionel Messi’s dominance. But Ribery’s season was better trophy-wise. The 2013 FIFA Ballon d’Or ceremony in Zurich was a mixed affair. Cristiano Ronaldo won it in 2008, but Ribery came close. But Ribery is still ahead in the polls.
Lionel Messi
It’s no secret that Leo Messi has long been the favorite for the Ballon d’Or. He’s in pole position to win the award in 2021. Winning his seventh Ballon d’Or would further his legend. During his career, Messi has never failed to get nominated or to come among the top three voted players. In fact, he’s been among the top three in the Ballon d’Or’s voting since 2007.
The Spanish Cup was Messi’s last silverware, as he scored twice in the final. Although this wasn’t the biggest trophy, it was still silverware for the Argentine. Although it wasn’t enough to ease the pressure on Ronald Koeman, it was the last silverware Messi would collect with Barca. However, this year, Lewandowski is proving to be a better option than ever.
As much as Messi deserved the award this year, there are other worthy candidates. Cristiano Ronaldo finished sixth in the voting and didn’t attend Monday’s ceremony. The Portuguese international took exception to a quote made by French journalist Pascal Ferre, who claimed that Messi had won the award despite his lack of nominations. If Messi won this year, he would have received a seventh – his fourth overall.
Despite the fact that Messi has been compared to Ronaldo in recent years, the world is still in a funk over the award. The two have a history of being deemed brilliant players, but there is more to the story than this. Last week, during the Copa America final against Manchester City, Messi was largely peripheral. Even if he did score a goal, his teammate Angel Di Maria assisted in the winning goal.
Iniesta
Iniesta scored the winning goal in the Champions League final and also assisted Messi in the World Cup semifinals, completing an all-Barcelona podium. Inter’s Wesley Sneijder finished fourth in the top eight, the only other player from outside La Liga. The Argentinian is currently Barca’s manager, and has twice reached the World Cup semifinals. Nevertheless, he has yet to win a Ballon d’Or.
Iniesta is a situations man and has won eight La Liga titles and four Champions League titles. He was beaten out by Lionel Messi for the award in 2010, despite winning the World Cup with Spain. While Messi may have been a favorite in the 2010 Ballon d’Or awards, Iniesta has won the European Cup and World Cup with Spain, and was a major part of the squad’s success last season.
Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane has admitted that Andres Iniesta deserved to win the Ballon d’Or this year. After all, he was the star of Barcelona’s 2010 domestic double. In addition, he also led Spain to World Cup glory in South Africa, scoring two goals against Chile and the winner against the Netherlands. But despite all his greatness, few people are willing to give him a chance to win the award.
Iniesta is one of the best players to have ever played the game. His passing abilities are legendary, and he is a key component of barca’s winning streak. Iniesta’s passing ability has helped Spain to achieve many important goals for both club and country. Iniesta has a vision unmatched by any other player in the world. Spain’s philosophy is to control the game and move the ball until an opportunity presents itself. His technical brilliance has helped them win trophies at home and abroad.
Xavi
After winning three Ballon d’Ors with Real Madrid and Juventus, Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez says his teammate Lionel Messi deserved the award even more. Messi won the award for the seventh time, beating Robert Lewandowski and Jorginho. He also won the Copa America in July, his first such trophy. Barcelona currently sit seventh in LaLiga with 23 points and face fifth-placed Real Betis on Saturday.
Although Xavi left international football at the end of last season, he continues to produce fantastic performances for Barcelona and Spain. His role as an ideologue has been key in making the team and the other players better. Xavi deserves more recognition for his performances with his club and national teams, and should win the award in the coming years. He is one of the best players of his generation and deserves to be recognized for it.
Xavi has become the engine of the Barcelona team for many years. Last season he was the pivotal player for Spain’s World Cup-winning squad. Even though he played a limited role towards the end of the campaign due to injury, his contributions throughout the season were crucial. He was a key player in the midfield and even created a goal for Messi from nothing. In a world of equals, Xavi deserves Balon Dor more than Messi.
