What’s the story?
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has backed Marco Asensio to challenge Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and the likes for the prestigious Ballon d’Or award. The 21-year-old had a sensational breakthrough season at the Santiago Bernabeu and he helped them win La Liga along with the UEFA Champions League.
Speaking in an interview with Marca, Perez said: "Asensio has become a big player and can become a Golden Ball winner. He has all the qualities to succeed, he is humble, hardworking, sensible, a team player and has tremendous quality.”
In case you didn’t know…
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated world football for close to a decade now and the number of Ballon d’Or awards won by the duo is a testament to that. The iconic duo have won each of the last 9 Ballon d’Ors, with Messi coming out on top on 5 occasions while the Portuguese sensation winning on 4.
Ronaldo is the overwhelming favourite to win the Ballon d’Or once again this year, and join Messi with 5 awards to his name. The 32-year-old played a starring role in Real Madrid becoming the first team in Champions League era to retain the coveted trophy, while also helping Los Blancos win their first league title since 2011/12.
The heart of the matter
Marco Asensio signed for Real Madrid in November of 2014 for a paltry sum of €3.9 million from Mallorca, he spent the subsequent seasons on loan at Mallorca and Espanyol before returning to Madrid. The 21-year-old was handed first-team opportunity by Zinedine Zidane earlier in the season and he impressed on his debut scoring a long-range screamer.
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The Spaniard established himself as a key member of the squad and ended up making 38 appearances for the Santiago Bernabeu outfit, scoring 10 goals while assisting another 4. Asensio has been tipped for big things in the future by one and all, and the 21-year-old has also started the UEFA Euro U-21 Championship in excellent form, netting a sensational hat-trick in the 5-0 demolition of Macedonia.
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Author's Take
While Marco Asensio has a long way to go before he can challenge Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi for the Ballon d’Or, Florentino Perez’s belief in the Spaniard is not misplaced as he is destined for great things. If Asensio continues to improve and puts in the hard yards, he has the talent to actually stake a genuine claim for the prestigious award.
This year, it is hard to look past Cristiano Ronaldo when one talks about Ballon d’Or winner and it is not without reason that the Portuguese is the overwhelming favourite. How Cristiano feels about the statement by Perez remains to be seen, especially given the recent reports of him wanting to quit Real Madrid.
