With all of the Haaland vs Messi debate, would Haaland have been the first player to win the Ballon d’Or without having participated in the World Cup that year?

  • Acceptable_News_4716@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Ballon d’Or specifically had little to do with the World Cup in previous years and was Euro/UEFA Club competition centric (by definition).

    In 86 for example despite Maradona being a rare player to really dominate a WC, and despite him playing in Italy, he was ineligible for the award due to nationality.

    Also in 86, Linekar won the Golden Boot at the WC, finished top scorer in the English 1st Div (PL), scored a hat trick on his debut for Barca and still only finished second because he didn’t compete in a UEFA club completion.

  • mancwes78@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Messi was just a nostalgia vote this year. No way was he the best player in the world last year.

  • elbapo@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    George best? I don’t think norther Ireland ever made it to a major competition in his time

  • mancwes78@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    I don’t know. But the World Cup is a tiny percentage of the games. The Ballon d’or is an individual award. It’s not his fault he plays for a team that can’t qualify for the World Cup. Do we just say that the best player for the World Cup winners automatically get the Ballon d’or in future despite whether or not they are that good for the rest of the year? If the penalty shoot out had gone the other way would it have been Mbappe that got the Ballon d’or? 🤷‍♂️

  • Various-Committee-73@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    The ballon dor is a joke of an award, it’s judged by journalists that have no more insight than the average fan.

    So many players who should have won it haven’t, because it’s a popularity contest. If you ask Liverpool fans, they’ll scream about Nunez, who shows a great aggression but couldn’t finish a roast dinner. Man City fans, Haaland (who I thought should have won it, plus I’m not even a premier league side supporter). Untied don’t have a player worthy and neither do Chelsea. Barca have been terrible and Madrid haven’t got a player last season who deserves it. Pointless mentioning any of the other leagues because they’re so one sided, it shouldn’t be classed as competitive. It’s a blindsided, journalist ran fan vote.

    To me this award means just as much as the JPT trophy. Mindless nonsense.