The race for the prestigious Ballon d’Or is one of the most sought after ones; after all, it’s the ultimate award that goes to the top football player. This year, however, it seems as if the award is destined for only one player, Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese won the Champions League and the Euro 2016 to put on a show that almost no one can deny of being spectacular.
Earlier, Barcelona ace Neymar had tipped rival Ronaldo to collect the award ahead of Barcelona star Lionel Messi. “Conquering trophies counts for a lot. He won the Champions League and now the Euros,” Neymar said.
Not many would disagree with Neymar, but it surely hasn’t stopped the Atletico Madrid boss from taking a swipe himself. He believes that French International and Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann deserves the title ahead of the Portugal captain, although he did admit that Ronaldo is most likely to grab it ahead of anyone else.
"I think when we talk about the Ballon d'Or, Ronaldo should be elected because he has won everything. It is the most competitive of all. But I do not consider that he was the best this year," the coach said. "I did not feel he had a great performance in the finals. Of course, the fact of winning trophies brings you closer to the individual awards," he continued.
"I consider Griezmann to be one of the best. The year was incredible and if he is not named, it would seem unjust to me," said his coach. "If he had won the final of the Champions League and the Euro, he would have already secured the Ballon d’Or," assured Diego Simeone.
The two have crossed paths on two separate finals this year, the Champions League and Euro 2016, with the Portuguese getting the better of his French rival. It will be his 4th Ballon d’Or if Ronaldo goes on to win it in January.
Antoine Griezmann has 22 goals in La Liga, 7 in the Champions League and was voted best player of Euro 2016 with 6 goals to his name.
The award takes into account a lot of different factors and nothing is chiseled in stone. The trophies and the game-to-game performances (statistics particularly) are the basis upon which the votes are cast.
However, there has been a tradition of slight bias as recent performers are usually fresh in the voter’s head and can tip the scale in favor of a particular player.
The award will be presented in January 2017 so Ronaldo’s rivals for the award have enough time to make a mark of their own this year. FIFA’s national team managers, their team captains and a media representative from each country get a vote and teammate preferences have shown to sway things in favor of players.
