The Ballon d’Or will not be awarded for the first time since 1956, another casualty of the coronavirus pandemic confirmed by France Football on Monday.
The reasons are clear and mostly understandable: In this very unusual year, in which competitions have been delayed, altered, or canceled entirely, how can you choose a true winner of the most prestigious individual award in world football?
“It is such a strange year that we could not treat it as an ordinary one,” France Football editor Pascal Ferré told The Associated Press. “It is not a decision we made lightly, but we had to accept that it could not be a normal or typical Ballon d’Or winner, and what really worried us was that it would not be a fair prize.
“The season started with certain rules and ended with other rules. In January and February, soccer was played in front of the full stands. Then, from May and June it was with empty stands. Then we had the rule of five substitutes and not three. Then there were other changes in terms of competitions, notably the last eight (eight-team knockout format) for the Champions League when it started with legs home and away.
“There were a lot of changes (to soccer rules) that are totally legitimate and that we didn’t dispute given the global health crisis, but we couldn’t consider this as a typical year.” Exceptional circumstances led to an exceptional decision. “
Yoan Valat / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
On the one hand, it is strange to discount the football that has been played. Put an asterisk next to it if you like, but the seasons have for the most part resumed with titles for deserving clubs. On the other hand, the full range of competitions that were supposed to take place this year has changed (either the postponement of the euros or the cancellation of some seasons of the national league), so perhaps the departure has a point .
The women’s award, finally established in 2018, will not be distributed either, and the reasoning will have a little more influence. Almost none of the major European leagues were completed this season, while NWSL was reduced to a month-long tournament. The Olympics were postponed. While the resumption of the Women’s Champions League is slated for late August, there is little evidence, at least as far as the elite level of global competition is concerned, to crown a superior player by comparison.
But the same cannot be said on the side of men. We have seen many things. Looking at the evidence from last season and the formula for how voters often choose their winners, a select team rises to the top. Liverpool, despite its dominance in England, did not have a single standout and dominant, but brought collective greatness to a historic title. If Sadio Mane had an international tournament he thrived on to complement his stellar game at the club, perhaps he would be in the mix. Kevin De Bruyne has been sensational for Man City, and if the club ends up winning the Champions League, then perhaps he too would enter the fray, but no one whose trophy is limited to a League Cup is winning the Ballon d’Or. A similar sentiment goes to Kylian Mbappe, who has been wonderful at PSG, but national success in France, despite the advantage of direct home sales, will not be enough. Run to win the Champions League and be the key aspect of it, then you have a better case.
That leaves five candidates clear, including the two perennial contenders and a trio of players whose star seasons will not be recognized in the form of a Golden Ball trophy:
ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI
No “stranger” to the award should be more shocked by Monday’s decision than the Polish superstar. Lewandowski was the most prolific player in Europe this season, with 51 incredible goals in 43 games. Bayern Munich made the national double by winning the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal, and they have a foot in the Champions League quarterfinals, with as good a chance as any of winning the modified club championship in Europe.
In a “normal” year, Poland would also have participated in Euro 2020, giving Lewandowski another outlet to potentially strengthen his case. At 31, Lewandowski still has a few explosive years left, and Bayern Munich will surely provide him with more opportunities on the bigger stages, but it’s unclear if the stars will ever line up so well for him and if he can replicate – or beat – The best scoring season of his career.
LIONEL MESSI
Barcelona did not win the League and, according to Messi, unless something changes significantly, they will not win the Champions League either. That said, Messi has performed at his typical high level. His 25 league goals may have been his lowest count since scoring 23 in 2008-2009, but they were still enough to lead all La Liga scorers.
He is the first player in La Liga to reach the 20-goal / 20-assist mark in a single season, and he is the only player in one of the major European leagues to do so this century outside of Thierry Henry (2002-2003). His 21 assists were a top-level Spanish record. Messi’s six Ballon d’Or trophies are the most important in history, and this could have been an opportunity to part ways with main individual rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who has five.
CRISTIANO RONALDO
This hasn’t necessarily been a vintage season for Ronaldo, however the Portuguese star is still in the mix for the Serie A scoring crown, Juventus is likely to win the league again and stay alive in the Champions League. , dragging Lyon by a goal towards the second leg of the last 16.
This has already been his highest scoring season in the national league since 2015-16, and, coming in Monday, there were still five games to go. He had scored seven goals in six Serie A games after the restart before going blank on Wednesday against Sassuolo, but he’s still as dangerous as ever. With the opportunity to shoot even with Messi’s Ballon d’Or count removed from the board, you wonder, given his age (35), how many more years of competing for the main prizes will Ronaldo have before he begins to retire to something akin to a normal footballer. His contract with Juventus runs until 2022, and who knows where he will go from there.
KARIM BENZEMA
Benzema was one of the rocks of Real Madrid, presenting a season of 21 goals with the consistency and aim of a true leader. Under Zinedine Zidane’s supervision, Benzema has been reborn and, at 32, was as vital to the success of the Real Madrid league as anyone.
If Real Madrid are able to build on their internal momentum in the reworked Champions League and overthrow Man City, there’s no telling where Benzema’s season could end. Unfortunately for him, there won’t be an award podium to recognize him.
SERGIO RAMOS
The captain of Real Madrid helped his side to the Spanish summit. Maybe it’s a cliche and too dramatic, but the 34-year-old was just as significant to the club’s title race. As center-back, he scored 11 goals, extending his streak of converted penalties to 22 in a row, including the winners of the game against Getafe and Athletic Bilbao when the race was still in balance.
It also marked the most stingy defense in Spain (25 goals conceded). One important thing that counts against him, aside from the fact that no defender has won the award since 2006: his red card in the last 16 Champions League first leg against Man City puts his team at an additional disadvantage in addition to the 2-1 deficit he faces.
.
