I normally see the likes of Ronaldo, 2013 or Andriy Shevchenko, 2004 are rated as the most underdeserving Ballon dor winners.
weah 1995
Michael Owen
Messi definitely didn’t deserve all of them. Most, yes, definitely not all.
Couple of years Messi, couple of years CR7. And sometimes it was so obvious kind of like thia year.
Same as last week when this got asked, and the week before, and the week before that.
lewandowski was snubbed twice 😭
Ronaldo 2016
Cannavaro 06, never been the best defender in the world. Got it just because ZiZu head-butted a dude. If ZiZu couldn’t get it, Buffon deserved it more than Cannavaro.
Well zizous headbutt it was quite costly and I’m sure it didn’t help that the voters are journalists
Cannavaro was top class. This is a hot take. I’m glad a defender one it - the award is so skewed towards attacking players.
Was Van Dijk the best defender in the world before 2019?
Sammer '96.
Great year, amazing defending, but Ronaldo Nazario was simply at another level, clearly the best footballer in the world.
Diego Milito in 2010
Messi 2023
Messi this year is up there for me, but take your pick from almost any time it coincided with the World Cup.
[waits for downvote oblivion]
Nedved. Without a doubt.
Modric, he wasn’t even top 5 players in Real Madrid during club season 2017-18. And in WC, he is only great for Croatia during some games in group stage. He basically won Ballon D’or based on his 3 games performances during WC group stage.
Canavaro 2006 or modric 2018 could be, but the ballon d’or was polemic since the first edition, they gave it to Mattews because of his trayectory more than his season