OT - Ballon d'Or Award being presented today for best soccer player of 2015

Submitted by trueblue262 on

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Soccer's equivilent award to CFB's Heisman Trophy is being presented today. I know there are a few in the "mgocommunity" that follow soccer, so I thought I'd 1. Get everybodys thoughts or predictions on who you think might win it.  And 2. Does anybody know if this would be televised?

I am going to say Messi will, which would be his 5th time winning. But part of me wants Neymar, he is my sons sports idol, so I tend to pull for him as well. To me, as long as Ronaldo doesn't win. I just watched his movie / documentary, and it really has made me a fan of whomever he is up against. 

I have provided a link below for anybody that might want more info

http://www.fifa.com/ballon-dor/

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4godkingandwol…

January 11th, 2016 at 11:53 AM ^

... but Ronaldo is deserving.  There is no denying his sheer output.  You can argue the criteria for being selected (individual vs. team), but if you look at a combination of both, he's easily number 2.  His team was in the Semis of the UCL (barely losing to Juventus) and they came in second by only 2 points in La Liga.  He scored more goals than Messi and actually had a fair number of assists for him.  

These things are arbitrary, but Ronaldo's year was fantastic.  It's like saying Messi isn't one of the greatest because he hasn't won a World Cup.  It's a stupid argument, IMO.  That being said, Messi's year, if you look at soccer's equivalent of advanced stats, is easily the best.  Throw on top of that the trophy haul, and it's a no brainer.  

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RHammer - SNRE 98

January 11th, 2016 at 12:14 PM ^

...interesting that Neymar will be there in the running as well, but it seems to me that (like Iniesta in the past couple of years) it would take an awful lot for a fellow-Barca player to distinguish themselves/surpass Messi's influence on the team.

that said, the torch will be passed to Neymar someday... just probably not today

Joined: 06/30/2008

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swan flu

January 11th, 2016 at 12:23 PM ^

If you consider the opposition and circumstances of Ronaldo's goals, they were disproportionately against inferior competition, penalties, and or in games that were out of reach. And if you consider intangibles like work rate off the ball, build up, defense, and tactics I think you could make a case for Suarez. I'm certainly not salty about CR being #2,he's incredibly talented and as I alluded to above, deserves his Ballon does.

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4godkingandwol…

January 11th, 2016 at 1:26 PM ^

.... Suarez had some unbelievably important (and stunning) goals.  It still doesn't take away from the absolute numbers.  

Also, here are some stats outside of scoring and assists.  

http://www.whoscored.com/Players/5583/History/Cristiano-Ronaldo

http://www.whoscored.com/Players/22221/History/Luis-Surez

A little hard to read, but basically says Ronaldo rated better in 2014/2015 season than Suarez.  

Joined: 08/06/2008

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Lou MacAdoo

January 11th, 2016 at 11:45 AM ^

What about that dude that's taken the EPL over playing for that no name club. His play is dashing. In all seriousness Messi should win this award every year that he's playing. He's my favorite to watch with Arjen Robben coming in second.

Joined: 10/16/2011

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DoubleYost

January 11th, 2016 at 12:25 PM ^

I want players from different leagues and with different skills sets.. It's a pop contest for who has the prettiest feet on the pitch and the flashiest suit on stage. If you are a fan of real English football or even the hustle displayed in Serie A or Bundesliga you're going to have a hard time getting behind all the pomp and circumstance of Ballon D'or superstars they feed in year after year

Joined: 12/26/2014

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DoubleYost

January 11th, 2016 at 11:46 AM ^

This has gotten to be a joke., the same names every year. The same 2 teams.. All 3 compared to Zidane. Why should supporters outside of Spain care?
Same people who complain about FIFA's corruption get all tingly in the pants over the Ballon D'or. IT'S THE SAME CROOKS RUNNING IT! Finally gave Blatter and Platini the boot no buying into this nonsense a few weeks later..

Joined: 12/26/2014

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4godkingandwol…

January 11th, 2016 at 11:58 AM ^

... if you believe there is a massive conspiracy to let those two players on those two teams score all the goals and win all the games.  Now, mind you, that's entirely possible given we are talking about soccer, but you can't get upset with the fact that those two players are light years ahead of everybody else.  We are witnessing a special time in soccer.  You can think it's boring because of the lack in variability, but I choose to appreciate the historic rivalry with two of the greatest ever dominating on the world stage for the past 8 or 9 years.  

Joined: 08/06/2008

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DoubleYost

January 11th, 2016 at 12:21 PM ^

I don't think it's a sham I just think that those are the two most popular teams in the world and they both play in a league where defense is merely suggested at best.. La Liga is the opiate of the soccer matches.. I don't turn on Celta Vigo vs Villareal and get the slide tackles and hustle I do when I turn to Serie A and pull up Lazio vs Fiorentina.. La Liga is easy and marketable and the flash is just waaaay to much for me. I am admitting that watching Messi zip around is somewhat entertaining, but there's much more of what football is all about in other leagues Premier, Serie A, Bundesliga..

Joined: 12/26/2014

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stephenrjking

January 11th, 2016 at 12:35 PM ^

Your loss, man. What Messi and C. Ronaldo are producing are two of the greatest careers in the sport, on rival teams, putting up numbers that are absolutely otherworldly and were unheard of for 20 years before their emergence. When they retire, Messi and Ronaldo will likely rate as two of the five best to ever play the game. They are brilliant, they are exciting, and they are consistent. 

Of course they are in the top three every year. Not including them would be like voting Karl Malone MVP over Michael Jordan because Michael had won enough. Their rivalry will be considered a golden era for the game on the field, the stuff people tell grandkids about decades later. Yeah, the parent organizations are hopelessly corrupt, but the best players? Yes they are.

Joined: 03/15/2012

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DoubleYost

January 11th, 2016 at 12:55 PM ^

Not my loss. They score a lot of goals. Swell. They are the best in the world. Great. Let them have their accolades, they're deserved. But chances are I'll be telling my kids about Chelsea's 2012 Champions League run where they broke the hearts of Messi's Barcelona and went on to stun Bayern Munich in Munich. Or possibly even the goal that will save them from relegation this year lol.. World football is so much more gratifying to me when you follow the clubs and watch the rise and fall based on team effort and solidarity. Real and Barcelona are phenomenal clubs but I just can't get on my knees in front of three men and completely ignore all the other exhilarating moments in world football by getting all giddy at the number of goals scored. I guess my problem is more with the Ballon D'or and FIFA's bullshit than with those players themselves.. Those guys and their league just don't do it for me. Not trying to sway anyone, just pointing out that working class football fans who support their club before all else have a very hard time getting interested in that type of me me me convention

Joined: 12/26/2014

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DoubleYost

January 11th, 2016 at 1:35 PM ^

Used that as an example because it was one of the best CL runs ever and Messi has never scored on Chelsea! And of course you are ignoring the history of CFC pre-2003 which is what many people do.. While Chelsea's owner is an oil baron and oligarch, their true fan base is, always has been, and always will be working-class. And no matter what you say or what owners take over a club, football IS a working-class sport.

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stephenrjking

January 11th, 2016 at 1:49 PM ^

My view of the Chelsea fanbase was established pre-2003, when it was known as a place where people went to be seen. Yeah, there are working-class supporters too, but Chelsea has never been any more distinctly working-class in its support than other typical English sides. 

Your attempt to draw a contrast between Chelsea and Barcelona is odd. Real Madrid I can grant anyone; they were the club of Franco, they have always had every advantage that can be offered a sports franchise. But Barcelona were traditionally the club of an actively oppressed political and ethnic minority. Yes, they are currently as powerful and successful as any club in Europe, but it's not like they had the government of Spain pushing them along for most of their existence.

The entire idea that Football has some innate "working-class" quality as opposed to other sports (or other classes) is just absurd. It's a cover to put a sheen on what is otherwise just garden-variety us vs. them resentment. The best players in the world are in Spain, so reasoning is made to justify the resentment of it. 

That's a pretty universal theme. I mean, I do that sometimes (particularly with the ultra-corrupt cheap dirty SEC, see what I mean?) but it can result in us only cheating ourselves out of the enjoyment of sports we follow when we get carried away. 

I get annoyed at Christiano Ronaldo, too. But if I fail to appreciate how good he is at the game I only cheat myself, not him. And to suggest that Messi is just the same as Ronaldo is... well, foolish. Perfect? No, but an astonishing player. 

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DoubleYost

January 11th, 2016 at 2:27 PM ^

The whole West End of London is a place to be seen.. To say that because Chelsea is located in that quadrant of the city and therefore isn't working class is absurd. I don't think that's what your implying, but that would also include clubs like Fulham, Brentford and QPR.. I choose to believe that England is the prototypical footballing nation. There are so many leagues and so many clubs from lowest to top tiers.. Each borough and hamlet with a club, hence the magic of the FA Cup.
When compared to other sports and their fans, yes football is working class. There will always be and us vs them concept in every social argument but when compared to cricket and rugby football very working-class. And the farther north you get in Britain away from London and the Home Counties the more edge football has. Draw a line east to west through Birmingham and anything North or South is drastically different from the other..

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