The decision to hold the 2022 World Cup in the ‘weird’ month of December has brought about a chain of unprecedented debate ahead of the 2023 Ballon d’Or race with talks about biggest robberies in history.
The World Cup is often a strong indicator of who will win the Ballon d’Or, with Lionel Messi leading the race for the individual gong. Erling Haaland has since immersed himself in that debate.
However, with Messi’s early elimination from the Champions League, the 2023 race will be determined by a couple of things apart from the World Cup. Let’s face it, by the time the 2023 vote reaches, the Qatar bonanza will be in distant memory.
1. Robert Lewandowski – 2020
The theft herein was the fact that it was cancelled at a time when Lewandowski was on his way to winning his first title. A Lewandowski victory could have been uncontested like the Benzema triumph last year, as he was in a class of his own.
According to a report on Goal, the organisers cited the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse, but every sane football fan knows it was Lewandowski’s award for the taking.
2. Franck Ribery – 2013
Ribery was part of the Bayern Munich squad that won the treble under Jupp Heynckes. He was the focal point of the attack that saw off Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final.
However, he was beaten by Cristiano Ronaldo to the award despite Ronaldo finishing the season without a single trophy. Ronaldo was adjudged to have had better individual numbers than Ribery.
- Wesley Sneijder – 2010
How the Ballon d’Or winner is arrived at came under intense scrutiny in 2010. Whether it was one’s goals or how one had inspired his side to trophies was discussed widely.
Judging by the outcome, the former won the argument as Lionel Messi was declared the winner. While it is hard to argue against Messi’s 60 goal contributions that season, Sneijder had made Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan tick.
Inter won the treble that season and Sneijder followed it up with another marquee performance at the World Cup. He was only outperformed by Uruguay’s Diego Forlan as the Netherlands reached the final.
Messi, meanwhile, bowed out in the quarter-finals and was eliminated from the Champions League by Sneijder’s Inter.
His World Cup heroics with Argentina have given him a perfect head start. Erling Haaland has closed the gap, or even surpassed him, in recent months, with a spectacular goal-scoring record as he chases a treble with Manchester City.
In as much as the Ballon d’Or award is often given on individual merits, the Champions League usually plays a critical role in swaying the vote. In the case of a World Cup year, the once-in-four-years competition takes precedence over any other trophy. Luka Modric is a witness.
Africa’s shortcomings at Ballon d’Or
Sports Brief has also reported that Sadio Mane recorded a contrasting set of fortunes in the 2021/2022 season. The then Liverpool forward led Senegal to their maiden African Cup of Nations title.
He then played a huge part as Liverpool beat Chelsea in both the FA and Carabao Cup finals to complete a domestic double. They were not as lucky in the Premier League and the Champions League finals, however.
That notwithstanding, Mane was a strong contender for the 2022 Ballon d’Or award. One could argue that if Lionel Messi won the 2021 award after leading Argentina to the Copa America, then Mane surely deserved an equal chance.