Modric has been a great player, but Messi has been the best player over the last calendar year.
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Modric has been a great player, but Messi has been the best player over the last calendar year.
It would be an even bigger mockery if a player that failed in the world cup and in the CL would be anywhere near the top 3 in the world. And quite rightly he isnt.
Greasy Ron on the other hand should have been included, the man top scored in the CL by quite a distance as well (2.5 times Messi's goals in the CL and 4 times Messi' goals in the world cup)
and even if HE hasn't - then Ronaldo has.
87 goals between them this year.
But it's an award for the best footballer. Messi wins that hands down.
Why would it?
It's an award for the best footballer. On every website it's officially stated that the award honours the male player deemed to have performed the best over the previous year.
Hardly anyone performed better than Lionel Messi did in the year 2018. Ronaldo is probably the only player who comes close, but even still he scored less, assisted less and won less.
Don’t really get the absence of Greasy Ron either. He had a good season.
He did.
In terms of the year 2018 he was second behind Messi statistically. Scored 1 less goal this calendar year but still a ridiculous output from him. Messi and Ronaldo should literally be the only two players in contention for these awards but it should NEVER go off what a team has won. It's an individual award. Your award for team honours is a winners medal.
3rd on the list should probably be a player who got close to their output consistently. So really (and it pains me to say it) the top 3 this year should have been Messi, Ronaldo and Salah and in that order too.
Messi and Ronaldo have totally changed the game. Just look at the award winners and their calendar years compared to what we get now from these two. Modric probably would have won the award back in 2005 or so if he was performing like he has done. Look at how many players have missed out on a Ballon d'Or because of these two phenoms.
Just a question,
Do you think the Ballon d'Or is a better/more realistic award, in terms of actual best players.
IMO yes it is.
What do you mean?
The Ballon d'Or should simply be for the best footballer of that year. Problem is, how do you define best footballer? Is it someone who can drag a shit team to something special? Is it someone who quite literally provides ridiculous goalscoring and assist numbers? Is it someone who happens to be in a team that wins honours?
The issue is these awards are voted by the players. We all know how petty players are. Ronaldo doesn't vote for Messi. Messi doesn't tend to vote for Ronaldo etc. - it's silly. We all have eyes. We know Messi is the best.
What's odd is this year they're likely to give it to Modric for having a good year (not great) but winning the Champions League and finishing 2nd in the World Cup yet in 2010 they didn't give it to Sneijder who won the TREBLE with Inter Milan and finished 2nd in the World Cup with Holland for example.
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As in, it doesn't (mostly) just go to a player in a team that wins or does well in international competitions.
I've just looked at the list of winners which includes the likes of George Best and some others I don't think I've ever heard of.
Apologies tried to copy and paste the winnners but an error came up saying the message was too long.
Ballon d'Or - Wikipedia
Edit; which is why I think that the Balloon d'Or is better for example previous winners include Baresi and Lev Yashin.
Not entirely.
It's more so just been that way over the last decade as a way to decide between Ronaldo and Messi really as their stats are absolutely ridiculous and at times not a lot to separate them in that way.
Ronaldinho won it in 2005 for example. Barcelona got knocked out of the Champions League in the first knockout round that year. Shevchenko won it in 2004 despite being knocked out of the CL at the quarter finals (Pains me to say it but Henry probably had a better shout that year or Deco).
Messi and Ronaldo changed the game. Big goalscoring seasons usually meant getting to 30+ in all competitions so players like Shevchenko would score 35+ in all competitions, their team would win the league so it would be hard to deny him. Nowadays, Messi and Ronaldo get 30 goals in the league alone EVERY year.
When they both retire, we won't see anything like them again and the awards will likely be won by someone different every year. Normality will resume.
Yeah, I prefer it because as I said in my "edit" (which I think you missed) they awarded it to players like Baresi and Yashin, that would never happen in the WPOTY. It always seems to go to a goalscorer or flair player
Just imagine if Zidane or Ronaldinho had been around today. They'd have had no chance because Messi and Ronaldo would just be outscoring them every single year. It's crazy.
Iniesta, who is arguably better than Zidane, never won an award but would definitely have won at least one if he was born a decade earlier.
Its your opinion that he was the best player and that is fine. Are they seriously going to say, we are going to give the best player award not to someone who shone at the biggest tournaments but to someone who beat up on teams in a spanish league but failed at the top level competitions.
Look, Ronaldo scored more against the top 8 teams in la liga, scored more in the world cup, scored most in the CL but Messi beat the shit out of the bottom 12 la liga cannon fodder, so he was the best player in the world. And on that note I give up
The best player of the year award should go to the best player of the year. Regardless of who he scored against, he scored more and assisted more goals than every single professional footballer on earth in the year 2018. 8 goals and 1 assist in 5 Champions League games. 1 goal and 2 assists in 4 World Cup games.
This year alone:
Most goals scored than any other professional player in all competitions.
Best goals to game ratio in all competitions.
Most goals scored from set pieces.
Most assists in all competitions.
Most key passes and chances created in all competitions.
More dribbles and take-ons completed than anyone else.
No one got more assists than Messi at the World Cup
La Liga winner
Didn't lose a single league game he played in (36 out of 38 games)
Copa del Rey winner
La Liga Top Goalscorer
La Liga Player of the Year
European Golden Boot
Let's compare that to the 3 in who DID make it ahead of him:
Antoine Griezmann:
29 goals scored
7 assists.
Europa League winner
World Cup winner
4 goals and 2 assists in 7 games at the World Cup
No one got more assists than Griezmann at the World Cup
Raphael Varane:
Champions League winner
World Cup winner
Most headed clearances at the World Cup
Finished 3rd in La Liga
Luka Modric:
2 goals and 7 assist in all competitions last season for Real Madrid
2 goals and 1 assist at the World Cup
Champions League winner
2nd place at the World Cup
Won possession in the midfield third more times than anyone at the World Cup
Finished 3rd in La Liga
..
.
But no, Messi cannot be considered the best player of the year 2018 because Argentina didn't get further in the World Cup and Barcelona only got to the quarter finals of the Champions League. It doesn't matter what HE as an individual done.
I wonder why Khedira never won the 2014 Ballon d'Or. He was arguably the best player of the tournament in the 2014 World Cup (in which Germany won) and started in the Champions League final in which they won too.
To be fair out of the 3 listed. Modric should be finishing 3rd based on accomplishments. Griezmann should probably win it if we're basing on importance of goals scored and what he's won.
It's crazy that Messi can put up these numbers (Freakish numbers that no one will EVER provide once he's retired) yet not be considered one of the 3 best players in world football.
To be fair, Ronaldos numbers stack up considerably well to Messi's too. Ronaldo was involved in ONE more goal than Messi at the World Cup and got to the exact same stage in the tournament. Messi has scored 1 more goal than him overall this year but has more assists. Ronaldo won 1 team trophy, Messi won 2. It could have gone either way between the two.
It's an outrage both aren't up for it.
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It is very subjective, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Some people enjoy watching close ball control, delicate dribbles, and accurate defense-splitting passes, while others prefer athletic bicycle kicks, out-jumping opponents to head the ball, ambidexterity, and powerful shooting.
I enjoy the former.
Some people enjoy watching close ball control, delicate dribbles, and accurate defense-splitting passes, while others prefer athletic bicycle kicks, out-jumping opponents to head the ball, ambidexterity, and powerful shooting.
I enjoy the former.
I can’t believe that neither Jimmy Greaves nor Dave Mackay are on that list
Or Sissoko
He was certainly instrumental in their 4-2 win at Wembley and the difference between the two sides having been rested for it
His pass for their first goal was sublime
Who even thinks of doing that? Let alone actually doing it!
Never won a World Cup though, so probably just CGI.
Against one of the best left backs in world football too.
Genuinely think Messi could be an alien.
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