Ballon d’Or honours go to the best footballer of a particular year. And this year Lionel Messi won the award, his 7th overall. This has antagonized many as they felt the award is being hijacked by the duopoly of Messi-Ronaldo and the young emerging talents are getting ignored in the process. Is there any truth in the claim?
Well, there are several extremely talented players across the world currently and it is not possible to honour all of them in one go. In 2021, Messi has been outstanding, be it for his national team or the club, and those unhappy at this year’s outcome should realize that the time of prodigies will also come in the future. This is not the first time serious differences have cropped up over the Ballon d’Or winner. In the past as well there were discordant notes following the event. Let us find out the times when Ballon d’Or winners ignited reservations and fierce debates in several quarters.
Igor Belanov (1986)
In1986 when the Ukrainian striker was awarded the French honour there were several dissenting voices concerning the decision. Everyone felt that Gary Linekar of England deserved it but Belanov for helping Dynamo Kyiv lift 5 titles walked away with the honours. It is also worth noting that the era belonged to the Great Diego Maradona as well but the award eluded the Argentine as the honours during the time were strictly restricted to the European players.
Matthias Sammer (1996)
The question that was uppermost on everyone’s lips then was: How can a defensive midfield win the Ballon d’Or? For his exemplary displays for Germany and Borussia Dortmund, Sammer got rewarded that year. This seemed very strange back then as it came at the expense of Ronaldo Nazario, who was mesmerizing all and sundry through his incredible skills playing for Barcelona. In the end, one single point tilted the scale in Sammer’s favour.
Luis Figo (2000)
The Portuguese, who won the award in 2000, also weathered a deadly storm as he edged past French legend Zinedine Zidane in the process. However, later on, Figo confessed that Roma’s Francesco Totti should have got the Ballon d’Or award not him. This was not the only time Figo made the headlines in 2000 as his move to Real Madrid also created a furor in the world of soccer.
Lionel Messi (2010)
The Argentine was ruling the roost at Barcelona that year and the Ballon d’Or perfectly complemented his exploits at the Catalan club. But Spain had won the World Cup the same year, that too outside of their continent. Many felt the likes of Iniesta and Xavi have done enough for the French honour. But it was the dawn of the Messi-Ronaldo era in the Ballon d’Or circuit.
Cristiano Ronaldo (2013)
Yes, you heard it right, despite having a gala time with Real Madrid some were of the view that Franck Ribery deserved the honour in 2013. The Frenchman was phenomenal that year playing for Bayern Munich but eventually, Ronaldo pipped him at the post. In the end, Ribery finished third that year behind Messi.
Luka Modric (2018)
Modric happened to be the new revolutionary to disrupt the unending reign of Messi and Ronaldo in France for the first time. However, even this outcome had its own share of detractors with many rooting Argentine and Portuguese legends for the honour. However, Modric trumped the existing duopoly for leading Croatia to the World Cup final and being instrumental in enhancing the effectiveness of Real Madrid as a midfielder.
