After months of speculations, the 2013 France Football Ballon d'Or was awarded to Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo in Zurich, Switzerland, on Monday, January 13. The Real Madrid player wins the trophy for the second time (27,99%), beating Barcelona Lionel Messi (24,72%) and Bayern Munich Franck Ribery (23,36%).
Ronaldo wins a controversial Ballon d'Or for many reason! The first one would be FIFA's decision to postpone the deadline of the votes, allowing two extra weeks to vote. At the time, Ribery was, according to observers, the great favorite for the title. However, those extra days gave Ronaldo the opportunity to score four goals in two games with Portugal and self handedly qualifying his country for the World Cup! A way to show the world that he is an incredible player.
At the same time, Ribery didn't shine with France, despite a qualification for the competition in Brazil. He played well, but did not have the same impact as Ronaldo did.
But should that matter? Surely not!
How can a player who has won every trophy imaginable in a year (Bundesliga, German Cup, Champions League, European Super Cup, Club World Cup), a player who has been elected best player of the Bundesliga and of Europe could lose the Ballon d'Or to players who did not win a single thing (For the exception of the Spanish Liga for Messi)? Maybe if there is a conspiracy?
It seems that voters had a different point of view! Indeed, despite all his trophies Ribery only finished third! THIRD!!
All right, I can accept that Ronaldo's impressive goal scoring record (69 goals in 69 games) and his major role in sending Real Madrid to the Knock-out stage of the Champions League (nine goals in six games) and Portugal to the World Cup makes his victory legitimate, but to award Messi the second place is a proof that some people lost their minds! The guy has been injured for the past two months! He had one of his worst season last year and Barcelona won the Liga because the team is one of the best ever to play the game and Messi did not really play a major role in that!
Sure, Messi and Ronaldo scored an incredible number of goals this year! So what? The Ballon d'Or is awarded to players who score tons of goals or to players who make their team win and are still entertaining on the field?
Speaking of entertainment, Ribery is the player who dribbled the most this season and by far! More than a thousand dribbles for only 300 for Messi and 250 for Ronaldo!
But most of all, Ribery is a team player, always making the extra effort to help his teammates on both sides of the field. The French made 49 tackles, almost as twice as Messi, winning 89,8% of them!
So tell me! What are the true criteria to be elected?
If the winner of the trophy deserves it because he scores more goals than other players, is entertaining and has a major impact on the game, why a player like Thierry Henry never had it?
Or if being a team player, winning trophies and being an example on the field is not a criteria either than why Pavel Nedved, Fabio Cannavaro or even Zinedine Zidane ever received the trophy?
The Ballon d'Or is obviously an individual trophy, awarded to a player who achieved an individual's outstanding year. However, football is and always will be a team game and when you win trophy as a team, you still win them individually!
Unfortunately for Ribery, it seems that voters do not get the ultimate goal of playing the game, which is winning! And if he thought he was going to win easily, he should have talked to Wesley Sneyder...
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