FIFA Ballon d’Or 2013

Sneijder's omission from the top three in 2010, no Spanish winners despite their unprecedented international success (which some of them combined with club trophies too) - yes, the award misses something crucial about football and about the idea of a Player of the Year.

It's not just since the voting changed though. 99, a treble - no United winner. Of course, to emphasise what individual awards actually mean in football, that year's PL player of the year was David Ginola.

No point Platini sulking. He should have moaned more on Sneidjer and Spain's behalves - when it actually happened - if he wants me to believe he's in some way neutral on the subject.

In any case UEFA has its own award and Ribery won it.
 
What activities? I think they've been behaving superbly! :D

Revan, he disagreed with the 2010 Ballon d'Or and said he thought a Spaniard should have won. Also, take into account this wasn't a calm interview sitting down, but an interview just after the result where the journalist was trying to get him say something negative, so I doubt it was all very calculated and an attempt to disrespect Sneijder or anything.

Which is again a complete bullshit cause no Spaniard player was as good as Sneider that year (as reflected by media votes). I just can't stand the love of FIFA/FIFA for Spanish football, just look yesterday there were 3 Spanish players on top XI despite Brazil wiped the floor with them and all of them were completely undeserved. All of Ramos, Xavi, Iniesta and Alves were there only because they play on those two teams, despite there were players who deserved to be there much more than them. It is embarrasing the love of them for Spanish teams/players.

Going by the farce that has became FIFA Ballon D'OR (the successor of the once respected Ballon D'Or), Ronaldo clearly deserved the award. If it was only Ballon D'Or then Ribery would have easily won that, as would had Sneider 3 years ago. If Platini will want to know whos fault is for this to not happen, he should start looking it on FIFA.
 
Which is again a complete bullshit cause no Spaniard player was as good as Sneider that year (as reflected by media votes).
Without going into the rest of your post, it was more like he was asked about debatable Ballons d'Or, and said 2010 but it looked like it was off the top of his head, he probably just had that WC in mind at that moment. I really don't think it was ill intentioned or anything, just something he said in passing.

I agree that the XI FIFPro team was stupid with the names you quoted.

I also agree it the FIFA Ballon d'Or is a joke, and I thought the Ballon d'Or itself was a bit daft anyway. But this is just plain stupid.

But going by that stupid criteria that has no sense whatsoever in a team sport, yeah, Cristiano probably deserved to win.
 
Well the thing is, throughout history of the game, we have not exactly witness player other Messi and Ronaldo who had consistently scored that crazy amount of goals and won so many games on their own, season after season. So during such a highly unusual era, this award is tended to be given to best performing individual instead of most successful team player.
In other words, Ribery could have won it if not competing with Ronaldo and Messi, in other "normal" era, when other best players would usually scored 20-30 goals a season, and when things are being measured in different way.
 
Well the thing is, throughout history of the game, we have not exactly witness player other Messi and Ronaldo who had consistently scored that crazy amount of goals and won so many games on their own, season after season. So during such a highly unusual era, this award is tended to be given to best performing individual instead of most successful team player.
That's far from set in stone as ruling. Who has had a better season: a player who was integral to his team winning every major trophy whilst contributing as both a goalscorer and provider of goals, or, a player that scores a shitload with nothing else to show for it?

Goals alone shouldn't be the barometer of anything - if they are bundled in with trophies, then sure, but otherwise, why and how should they count for more than a player being the leading light in treble-winning campaign?
 
That's far from set in stone as ruling. Who has had a better season: a player who was integral to his team winning every major trophy whilst contributing as both a goalscorer and provider of goals, or, a player that scores a shitload with nothing else to show for it?

Goals alone shouldn't be the barometer of anything - if they are bundled in with trophies, then sure, but otherwise, why and how should they count for more than a player being the leading light in treble-winning campaign?

Maybe because Bayern success is down to the outstanding performance of the whole team rather than one single player standing out. The year when we won treble none of our player won any individual award too.
 
Maybe because Bayern success is down to the outstanding performance of the whole team rather than one single player standing out. The year when we won treble none of our player won any individual award too.
You didn't answer the question - who has had the better season from the two outlined?

And Ribery being the leading light in a very, very impressive team enhances his claim rather than lessening it. That's exactly how Messi has been fawned over for years despite Xavi and Iniesta being ballon d'or level players in their own right.

We didn't have a player win any awards because the votes got shared out within our team... hardly the same thing that has happened to Ribery.

He has every right to be furious because it's basically been confirmed with this ceremony that he will never win the award no matter what he does.
 
He'll never win the award because he's not in the same bracket as Messi and Ronaldo. Simple as.
 
He'll never win the award because he's not in the same bracket as Messi and Ronaldo. Simple as.
Then why even have the sham of an award ceremony every year? Might as well draw the name of one from the two from a hat and be done with it.
 
Then why even have the sham of an award ceremony every year? Might as well draw the name of one from the two from a hat and be done with it.

I mean, did you really think it'd be anyone but Ronaldo or Messi? Everyone knows it. The whole thing is a joke anyway, handing out individual awards for a team sport.
 
I mean, did you really think it'd not be anyone but Ronaldo or Messi? Everyone knows it. The whole thing is a joke anyway, handing out individual awards for a team sport.
Personally, I feel the award has lost a lot of the merit it has built up over the years with what it has become.
 
You didn't answer the question - who has had the better season from the two outlined?

And Ribery being the leading light in a very, very impressive team enhances his claim rather than lessening it. That's exactly how Messi has been fawned over for years despite Xavi and Iniesta being ballon d'or level players in their own right.

We didn't have a player win any awards because the votes got shared out within our team... hardly the same thing that has happened to Ribery.

He has every right to be furious because it's basically been confirmed with this ceremony that he will never win the award no matter what he does.

What do you mean? Bayern had a great team with many outstanding player, such as Lahm, Robben, Neuer, Schweinsteiger, Muller etc. Ribery is just one of them, with similar importance in their all conquering team. He scored 18 goals and 19 assist for Bayern last season, and 9 goals and 7 assist so far, such contribution has been more or less matched by Robben (13 goals 10 assist last season, 11 goals 7 assist so far), Muller (22 goals 15 assist last season, 16 goals 8 assist so far) etc
 
Sneijder's omission from the top three in 2010, no Spanish winners despite their unprecedented international success (which some of them combined with club trophies too) - yes, the award misses something crucial about football and about the idea of a Player of the Year.

It's not just since the voting changed though. 99, a treble - no United winner. Of course, to emphasise what individual awards actually mean in football, that year's PL player of the year was David Ginola.

No point Platini sulking. He should have moaned more on Sneidjer and Spain's behalves - when it actually happened - if he wants me to believe he's in some way neutral on the subject.

In any case UEFA has its own award and Ribery won it.
Rivaldo in '99 was individually outstanding and carried his club to a league title and Brazil to a Copa America win. Do you really think that's comparable to Ronaldo winning it solely for individual achievements? No one would question Ronaldo this year, if Real had won the title and he had best player of the tournament performances with Portugal at a Euro or World Cup. Beckham in '99 would have won the old award ahead of Ronaldo 2013, I'm pretty sure about that.
 
What do you mean? Bayern had a great team with many outstanding player, such as Lahm, Robben, Neuer, Schweinsteiger, Muller etc. Ribery is just one of them, with similar importance in their all conquering team. He scored 18 goals and 19 assist for Bayern last season, and 9 goals and 7 assist so far, such contribution has been more or less matched by Robben (13 goals 10 assist last season, 11 goals 7 assist so far), Muller (22 goals 15 assist last season, 16 goals 8 assist so far) etc
Ribery has been acknowledged as the outstanding player in the team - it is no different to any great side with a figurehead.

Rivaldo in '99 was individually outstanding and carried his club to a league title and Brazil to a Copa America win. Do you really think that's comparable to Ronaldo winning it solely for individual achievements? No one would question Ronaldo this year, if Real had won the title and he had best player of the tournament performances with Portugal at a Euro or World Cup. Beckham in '99 would have won the old award ahead of Ronaldo 2013, I'm pretty sure about that.

Exactly.
 
Ribery has been acknowledged as the outstanding player in the team - it is no different to any great side with a figurehead.

If its not Ribery, could be Robben, Schweinsteiger (German player of the year 2013, beating Ribery), Muller or Lahm to win it then. In any other era, I am fine with that traditional thinking.
 
Rivaldo in '99 was individually outstanding and carried his club to a league title and Brazil to a Copa America win. Do you really think that's comparable to Ronaldo winning it solely for individual achievements? No one would question Ronaldo this year, if Real had won the title and he had best player of the tournament performances with Portugal at a Euro or World Cup. Beckham in '99 would have won the old award ahead of Ronaldo 2013, I'm pretty sure about that.

I'm not a big fan of individual awards in football. I said before the vote this year that I thought Ribery should win it. It should say something about the year, as well as the player. Just like 2010 was the year in which "teams" triumphed over individual brilliance - it was that feeling, that should have stood out in the award voting.

This year, Ronaldo and Messi, good as they were, couldn't get their teams to the top. They (to me) underachieved really.

I'm sure the United players were happy with their treble, and as I said, Ginola won the English awards - so I won't complain about Rivaldo.

That said, as long as people acknowledge what the awards are - subjective judgments - then that's fair and proper. It's a beauty contest, a popularity vote. People vote on impulse and instinct (or familiarity and politics. It's easy when the perceived best player is on the team with the best trophy collection that year, much harder when it's split.

So complaining about how other people vote? No, that suggests there's some objective measure to be applied. It's a fine thing to argue in the pub or an internet forum. When the head of UEFA says it, it sounds like sour grapes about his favourite not getting it - compound it with his favourite being French and it sounds on the partisan side of where a figurehead should be.
 
That said, as long as people acknowledge what the awards are - subjective judgments - then that's fair and proper. It's a beauty contest, a popularity vote. People vote on impulse and instinct (or familiarity and politics. It's easy when the perceived best player is on the team with the best trophy collection that year, much harder when it's split.

Exactly.
 
He's a cnut, no doubt, but he has a point. The Ballon d'Or award has always been more of a most valuable player award. If your team didn't surpass the expectations, you basically had no chance winning it, didn't matter what you did individually. When it merged, FIFA made sure that it became a huge show that awards the players who create the most youtube hits.

That's not meant as a dig at Ronaldo, he's been individually the best player in 2013, so he deserves this award. But he wouldn't have won it without the change after 2009, just like Messi wouldn't have won in 2010 for example.

Who cares? There has been plenty of bloopers in Ballon'dor history and even more so in Fifa world player of the year award. No one cared in the past. It is ridiculous that football fans give a feck about such awards nowdays.
 
I don't think the votes should be made public. Every national team coach of note votes for their best players in a political point scoring/motivational exercise. Almost without exception.
 
I don't think the votes should be made public. Every national team coach of note votes for their best players in a political point scoring/motivational exercise. Almost without exception.

But those are still a very small minority aren't they?

On the other hand making the votes public is very beneficial for the integrity of the process (imagine how bigger those conspiracy theories would have gotten if the votes weren't published), and I think it also urges people to take their votes more seriously because of the "name and shame factor" that comes with making the votes public.

For me they have to make the votes public.
 
But those are still a very small minority aren't they?

On the other hand making the votes public is very beneficial for the integrity of the process (imagine how bigger those conspiracy theories would have gotten if the votes weren't published), and I think it also urges people to take their votes more seriously because of the "name and shame factor" that comes with making the votes public.

For me they have to make the votes public.

Agree
 
If ever there were a picture which sums up all that is wrong with the modern world, that is it.

PS 1,5,3,2,4.
 
I don't think the votes should be made public. Every national team coach of note votes for their best players in a political point scoring/motivational exercise. Almost without exception.

The trouble with keeping the votes anonymous is that no one would believe the vote was straight. Such is FIFA's status :D

Even with published votes we get voters saying the records are wrong. In 2010, there were claims of Xavi votes going to Xabi, for example. We'd be hearing even more whingeing about the results than with this system.

As to who should be voting. Looking at the inertia in the system you do wonder how much of the players the voters currently see. But of course that's the nature of the vote, no weighting system between big countries and small, and no guarantee that they actually routinely watch European football - let alone the Bundesliga.
 
*logs off forever*
 
The trouble with keeping the votes anonymous is that no one would believe the vote was straight. Such is FIFA's status :D

Even with published votes we get voters saying the records are wrong. In 2010, there were claims of Xavi votes going to Xabi, for example. We'd be hearing even more whingeing about the results than with this system.

As to who should be voting. Looking at the inertia in the system you do wonder how much of the players the voters currently see. But of course that's the nature of the vote, no weighting system between big countries and small, and no guarantee that they actually routinely watch European football - let alone the Bundesliga.


So? Is it really that important/controversial? It's not determining the leader of a country, or trying to legitimise a military dictatorship. It's a football player of the year award. One of many, but one we've given significance because of it's history and recent FIFA sanctioning. I don't think people gave that much of a shit when it was just France Football releasing who'd won, turning up at a players door, giving him the thing and then taking some photos. As opposed to the ludicrous self congratulating Academy Award type bollocks we have now.
 
I'm sure there's KC Photoshop shenanigans afoot. :D
 
Lionel Hutz has advised me not to post anything further.
 
Surprised there is any discontent or controversy about Ronaldo's award. Definitely not one to go on about him as if he is some sort of once in a lifetime unstoppable force, but he deserves the award this year for sheer consistency of output throughout 2013. You have to feel sorry for Ribery and a great case could be made for him, but Ronaldo has had the better year on an individual basis (IMO...).