The controversial two-horse race is over.
No one can deny the position of Messi and Ronaldo in the flow of football history. They are certainly worthy of entering the legendary temple. During the period 2008-2023, this duo won 13 Golden Balls: Messi had 8 and Ronaldo had 5. Fans in this era are also very lucky to witness the top competition between this pair of "arch-rivals". They are both opponents and a source of motivation for each other to always try harder.
However, many opinions also say that the fact that Messi and Ronaldo are "regular" at the Ballon d'Or awards ceremonies makes this award no longer have much value. In addition, the Guardian also assessed that the race between Messi and Ronaldo is also a media and marketing competition between the two giants Adidas and Nike, two arch-rivals in the sports fashion industry. Messi is the exclusive brand ambassador of Adidas, while Ronaldo is associated with Nike.
Messi and Ronaldo are still "competing" with each other, but this competition is no longer taking place at the highest level.
This race is said to have disrupted the fairness of the Ballon d'Or. Nike and Adidas always want their biggest superstars to appear in the center, in the most brilliant positions. For that reason, Andreas Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez, the two main "architects" during the years when Barca dominated Europe, have not won a single Ballon d'Or title. Franck Ribery and Wesley Sneijder have also expressed their dissatisfaction at not being able to win the Ballon d'Or despite having explosive seasons. In the most recent Ballon d'Or award, names like Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne also deserved to be honored.
Now, the two-horse race between the two greatest players in history is no more. The controversy cannot disappear of course, but it is not pushed to the heights like the Messi - Ronaldo era.
QBV will be more unpredictable
Before the Ballon d'Or award ceremony, the Spanish newspaper Marca ran the headline: "The dawn of a new era in football: A new generation of stars is lining up to win the Ballon d'Or. No Messi. No Ronaldo." Indeed, without the two greats, the new Ballon d'Or winner becomes unpredictable. Rodri, Dani Carvajal, Jude Bellingham or Vinicius all deserve to touch this noble title.
Any of these four players deserves to win the title.
Rodri had a near-perfect season. He helped Man City win the treble (Premier League, European Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup), led Spain to the top of Europe and won the title of best player of EURO 2024.
Vinicius is not far behind, scoring 24 goals and providing 9 assists for Real Madrid in 39 matches, helping "Los Blancos" win the Champions League and La Liga. Meanwhile, Carvajal has both individual titles with Real Madrid like Vinicius and with the Spanish national team like Rodri.
Bellingham also had an explosive season with 23 goals and 13 assists for Real Madrid. In the England team, this midfielder played a pivotal role, helping the "Three Lions" reach the final of EURO 2024.
In the near future, Yamal and Haaland are both capable of competing for the Golden Ball title.
When all 4 candidates are worthy of winning the Ballon d'Or, we see a positive signal. This tournament seems to be completely renewed. And next season, it is very likely that the race will include the names of Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland or young rising talents such as Lamine Yamal, Jamal Musiala. From now on, the Ballon d'Or will become much more interesting.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/qua-bong-vang-2024-khoi-dau-cho-ky-nguyen-khong-co-messi-ronaldo-185241028155109482.htm
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