Cristiano, Bale and Griezmann the finalists for UEFA award
Cristiano Ronaldo Ballon d'Or 2016
UEFA has revealed the trio from which last term's best player in Europe will be chosen, and it's another triumph for LaLiga. In Cristiano Ronaldo, Antoine Griezmann and Gareth Bale, it has all three spots on a podium occupied exclusively by the two Madrid sides. You can see the logic of the line-up: Real and Atlético were the Champions League finalists, while Portugal and France, one with Cristiano and the other with Griezmann, fought it out for the trophy at the Euros - where Wales, who made the semis, were the chief revelation (there were a few) with an immense Bale integral to their run. The three had phenomenal campaigns in European competition.
No Messi, Suárez or Neymar...
Of course, it's a slap in the face for those in Barcelona, where the threesome of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar are looked upon with legitimate pride and joy. With the 'MSN' to the fore, Barça won the Spanish league - the continent's best - and the Copa del Rey to boot. But in the Champions League (which is like the Las Ventas bullring in Madrid, which, it's said, 'gives and takes away' a fighter's status as the best), they went out in the quarters. And, as all three are South American, none were in France. Messi and Suárez were at the Copa América, which for this holds less sway, and did not excel. Neymar wasn't even there. He chose the Olympics.
All three finalists merit their place
Leaving the absentees to one side, what can be said is that each of the three men who are there deserve to be. Griezmann has carried both Atlético and France's attacks. For neither club nor country has he had a partner in crime on a par with the standards he sets. Bale has enjoyed his best season since moving to the Bernabéu - if interrupted by a few too many injuries - and was a colossus for Wales. It leaves you crying out for him to cover every blade of grass for Real as he does for the Welsh team. As for Cristiano, who's set to extend his Madrid deal into the next decade, he's once again scored a hatful here, there and everywhere. A top podium.