Ballon d’Or musings

Despite some whingeing, one should raise a toast to Messi because he is a consummate team man. Unlike the narcissistic Ronaldo, he revels in the success of his team-mates

Fifa calls it Ballon d’Or but the award has effectively been a duel between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to decide the best football player on the planet. The battle has only been between the two in the last five years and the duo made a 1-2 finish their own in seven of the last eight years. This term it’s the turn of Messi who scooped his fifth. It won’t be the Argentine’s last because he is only 28. The numbers are incontestably in favour of Messi who scored 52 goals and provided 26 assists in 61 games for club and country in 2015. More important, he won five trophies with Barcelona including the one that matters most — the Champions League. What worked against Ronaldo, who scored 57 in all, was his failure to win a trophy.

The Ballon d’Or dominance of Messi and Ronaldo buttresses the truism that football is all about goals and goal scorers. Germany and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer should have got the award last year after he had helped his country win the 2014 World Cup with a heroic performance. But he stood no chance against the might of Messi and Ronaldo. It appears that the persons who are eligible to vote in the Ballon d’Or poll — national team coaches, captains and select journalists — are hardwired not to look beyond the two. The process is democratic but not flawless by any means. For instance, Neuer wouldn’t be able to break the duopoly of Messi and Ronaldo even if he inspires Bayern to the Champions League and Germany to Euro titles this year. Maybe the German, who is not a mug outside the penalty box, should start scoring a lot of goals to be able to challenge the status quo.

In the era of Messi and Ronaldo, defenders can forget about making the Ballon d’Or shortlist, leave alone the small matter of going all the way. In fact, a template has been set for future awards. Maybe Fifa should contemplate changing the definition of the award, which only determines the best forward these days. Scoring is surely the most difficult job on a football field but one must spare a thought for goalkeepers who are only bookmarked by their mistakes. And, football is still a team sport.

Taking the total goals into consideration is not a sound idea either. Luis Suarez’s tally wasn’t as impressive as Messi’s but his goals were more decisive for Barcelona last season. The former Ajax player didn’t even figure in Fifa’s team of the year! Messi himself has graciously admitted that the Uruguayan is the best forward in the world at the moment. Messi’s endorsement isn’t enough for Suarez to win his maiden Ballon d’Or. It’s only worth a first-choice vote in the poll because Messi is the captain of Argentina. The ability of Suarez to deliver in big matches is unmatched and he would be the front-runner next year if he is solely judged on his football prowess. Another absurdity of Ballon d’Or is it inexplicably encompasses two seasons. It should be awarded for a single season. Period.

Despite some whingeing, one should raise a toast to Messi because he is a consummate team man. Unlike the narcissistic Ronaldo, he revels in the success of his team-mates. Messi has a part in the stupendous form of Neymar and Suarez. Ronaldo, on the other hand, is only obsessed with his performance. There is nothing to separate Messi and Ronaldo except the former’s ability to gel well in a team. That is why the Argentine is liked more all over the world.