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Wesley Sneijder has reiterated his belief that he should have won the 2010 Ballon d'Or ahead of Lionel Messi. The former Dutch international, who retired in 2019, enjoyed spells at Ajax Amsterdam, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Galatasaray, OGC Nice, and Al-Gharafa but played his best football with the Italian side.
He joined Inter Milan in 2009, and his best season at the club was undoubtedly his debut campaign. He played a key role for the Nerazzurri in the 2009/10 season, helping the club win a historic treble - the UEFA Champions League, Serie A, and Coppa Italia). He carried his strong form to the national team, playing a starring role for the Netherlands as they reached the World Cup final.
As a recognition of his stellar performances that year, Sneijder was nominated for the Ballon d'Or. However, he lost the award as Argentine icon Lionel Messi won it. Not only did he miss out on winning, but he also failed to make the top three, with former Spanish midfielders Andres Iniesta and Xavi finishing second and third, respectively.
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Since then, the 41-year-old has expressed his disappointment at not winning the 2010 Ballon d'Or, stating that he believed he deserved it more than Lionel Messi that year.
In a recent interview with WinWin, Wesley Sneijder named himself, Franck Ribery, and Robert Lewandowski as players who ‘deserved’ to win football’s biggest individual prize but never did. When asked if he still feels sad about missing out on the award in 2010, he replied:
“Honestly, yes, it makes me sad. It was an exceptional year for me: the Champions League, the domestic double, and the World Cup final. I felt like I had given it everything. But Messi won it, and he's a great player. However, people reminding me of 2010 means they've seen what I did, and that's what matters.”
The interviewer then asked if he thinks the Ballon d'Or doesn’t always go to the best player. In his response, Sneijder claimed Ribery and Lewandowski also deserved to win the award in 2013 and 2020, respectively:
“Not always, yes. Sometimes popularity plays a role, or the club you play for. There are players like Ribéry in 2013, or even Lewandowski in 2020, who deserved it.”
The Ballon d’Or has come under renewed scrutiny in recent years, including the most recent edition, which ended contentioussly after Manchester City midfielder Rodri edged out Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr. for the prize.
When Wesley Sneijder said ‘it was unfair’ that Lionel Messi won the 2010 Ballon d'Or ahead of him
In 2023, Wesley Sneijder addressed the 2010 Ballon d'Or snub. The former Real Madrid and Inter Milan star insisted that he was more deserving of the award.
In an interview with Egyptian channel Alhayah TV (via Diario AS), he said:
“It was a little unfair that I wasn’t crowned with the Ballon d’Or in 2010 and Messi won it . Although I’m not the guy who cries about that: the Ballon d’Or is an individual award, and what I prefer is winning collective trophies. If I had to choose between the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or, I would choose the Champions League that I won , I’m very happy with that title.”
In the final voting for the 2010 Ballon d'Or, Sneijder finished fourth with 14.48% of the votes, while eventual winner Messi secured 22.65%.
