A new era for the Ballon d’Or in the post-Messi and Ronaldo landscape | Alex Reid
The two multiple winners are not on this year’s shortlist, and a new name on the old trophy can only help to restore respect for this historic award
The Ballon d’Or, football’s most famous individual prize, was not always the gold-plated standard for tedium it has become during the past 16 years. From 1990, 17 different players won the award over the next 18 years, with victors hailing from not only Brazil, Germany, France and Italy but also Ukraine, Liberia, Bulgaria and even England.
But if the names from the 1990s hit like a wave of nostalgia – Van Basten! Baggio! Stoichkov! Weah! Ronaldo! Rivaldo! – the list from 2008 onwards is crushingly repetitive. Cristiano Ronaldo won his first gong that year, Lionel Messi succeeded him, and what was once a fun way to spotlight a great player – or at least an outstanding 12 months – turned into a proxy war for social media’s most overplayed debate. Messi and Ronaldo hoovered up 13 of 15 awards from 2008-2023, a duopoly driven by the players’ relentless brilliance but also powered by the marketing machines of Adidas and Nike, as well as political in-voting.
Continue reading...-
Sports - ABC News
Move over Messi and Ronaldo. A new generation of soccer stars is lining up to win the Ballon d'Or
10 hours ago -
World - The Guardian
Football Daily | The ongoing adventures of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
October 17 -
Sports - ESPN
Martino: Vini merits Ballon d'Or, Messi still best
Yesterday -
Sports - Yahoo Sports
More painful mistakes, missed chances as Jets fall to Bills
October 14 -
World - The New York Times
Is Canada’s New Immigration Policy Really the End of an Era?
Yesterday -
Business - MarketWatch
A messy election could end market’s era of ‘American exceptionalism’
4 days ago -
Sports - ESPN
UWCL talking points: Arsenal begin post-Eidevall era with win
October 18 -
Sports - ESPN
ALCS, NLCS takeaways: Guardians win thriller over Yankees; Dodgers rout Mets
October 18
More from The Guardian
-
World - The Guardian
ICC prosecutor allegedly tried to suppress sexual misconduct claims against him
3 hours ago -
World - The Guardian
Georgia’s pro-EU opposition calls for protest over ‘rigged’ election result
2 hours ago -
World - The Guardian
Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 70 as UN chief calls civilians’ plight ‘unbearable’
1 hour ago -
World - The Guardian
Harris visits Philadelphia as Trump gears up for Madison Square Garden rally – live
30 minutes ago -
World - The Guardian
Bezos faces criticism after executives met with Trump on day of Post’s non-endorsement
5 hours ago
Latest in World
-
World - The New York Times
Iran’s Leaders Stress Their Right to Respond to Israel’s Strikes
7 minutes ago -
World - ABC News
Key mediator Egypt proposes a 2-day Gaza cease-fire and the release of 4 hostages
14 minutes ago -
World - The Guardian
Formula One: Mexican Grand Prix – live
16 minutes ago -
World - The Guardian
Timothée Chalamet crashes his own lookalike contest in New York
24 minutes ago -
World - The Guardian
Harris visits Philadelphia as Trump gears up for Madison Square Garden rally – live
30 minutes ago