Lionel Messi’s absence from the 2022 Ballon d’Or nominee shortlist has sparked widespread controversy, with some looking for an explanation for the presence of rival Cristiano Ronaldo on the list.
And for the first time of its kind 16 years ago, Messi, who won the ball for gold seven times (a record), was absent from the list of 30 candidates for this year’s award after “Flea”, the winner of the award last year, has been constantly on the list of candidates since 2006 . Has consistently been in the top three since 2007, with the exception of 2018.
On the other hand, Messi’s traditional rival, Ronaldo, has broken the record for the most consecutive list appearances since 2004, being on the 2022 list of candidates.
The French newspaper L’Equipe attempted to explain why the Argentine captain was removed from this long list and put Ronaldo on it, writing in an article titled “Why Messi missed and Ronaldo ended up on the list of candidates to win the 2022 World Cup.” Golden Ball?”
The widely circulated newspaper explained that the amendment to the “Golden Ball criteria” is the first reason, given that in the time period that was set for the development of the list, Messi’s performance was not as expected.
His first year at Paris Saint-Germain was also not a good one, as his poor form in his first season with the French champions and only scoring six league goals drew widespread criticism, especially after his early exit from the Champions League. Real Madrid in the 1/8 finals.
As for Ronaldo, L’Equipe explained his presence on the Ballon d’Or shortlist, saying that the “don” on the throne of the list of players with the most goals scored for the national team helped him in this.
She added that Ronaldo scored six goals in the Champions League group stage last season to help Manchester United reach the round of 16 and the Portuguese star finished the season with 32 goals in 49 games across all competitions, all of which are more than enough to stay on the list for 18 years.
Real Madrid forward Frenchman Karim Benzema is one of the most prominent candidates for this year’s Ballon d’Or. He led the Royal Club to their fourteenth Champions League title, scoring 15 goals in continental competitions.
Benzema is expected to be the fifth French winner after Raymond Kopa (1958), Michel Platini (1983, 84 and 85), Jean-Pierre Papin (1991) and Zinedine Zidane (1998).
France Football will announce this year’s Ballon d’Or winner on 17 October in Paris.
Source: “L’Equipe” + agencies