The Ballon d’Or gala is set to take place tonight at the Kongresshaus in Zurich, amid weeks of speculation and controversy. Will Ronaldo snub the awards (no), Messi turn up in another polka-dotted suit or Sepp Blatter act out an elaborate opera in front of everyone? It’s anyone’s guess!
When he was recently asked if he would pick Cristiano, Ribery or Messi to win the award, a wise man named Zlatan Ibrahimovic said : “All three deserve to win the Ballon d’Or, but I think it should go to Santa Claus.”
Although we will miss Ibrahimovic and Sweden at the World Cup this year, our sentiments better echo that of Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari who said :
“If you ask me, Ronaldo is still the best. Messi might not like it and he might come up and tell me: ‘You never vote for me’. But I didn’t vote for him because I think Cristiano deserves it, especially this year.”
All three players are deserving of the awards, but an interesting perspective comes from Arsene Wenger, who argued that players “unconsciously players (favour) individual performance over that of the team. This is an endorsement of an individual which goes against the essence of our sport. I fight like mad against the Ballon d’Or, which hurts football.”
Meanwhile, Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said : “Franck should fly to Zurich with a big smile on his face and enjoy it. It’s not easy to get that far and he should enjoy the moment. All three are incredible players, and I’m just happy that it’s not up to me.”
