Wenger, Cristiano, Messi and the Ballon d'Or
Arsene Wenger voiced a complaint yesterday about the importance of the Ballon d'Or, with the argument put forward by many: football is a team game and not an individual sport. As a coach he also claimed that too many players are focused on this award and this does little for the collective group. Despite his comments one has to accept that the Ballon d'Or award has been around as longs as the European Cup and constantly generates interest. On a personal level, it's an award I like and have always followed it's progress since I was a child. It was also a huge honour to bee invited onto the judging panel three years ago.
Of course football is a team sport but there are always players who stand out. There is always one player who you know you can rely on, a player in the opposing team who transmits fear due to his ability. And if there is more than one, then passionate debates abound about who is the best and this is an argument that can ring true from kids having a kick about in the school yard through to the national team. This excitement that an individual talent can produce is as integral a part of the game as the collective dynamic of the sport. I'm sure if Wenger's Arsenal side were to play Barça the French coach would be happier if Leo Messi was absent from the Catalan side, despite Barcelona being one of the best teams in the world, there is one player who provides more danger than the rest of the team
The Ballon d'Or has evolved with the evolution of time. In the past it was shrouded in secrecy and just discussed some two or three days ahead of the award ceremony. Now it's a majar talking point each and every year and much of this is down to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi along with the Madrid-Barça rivalry which is now a global phenomenon. Last Monday the announcement of the nominated players in installments generated huge interest that the traffic to the website was on a par with that of "El Clásico". So despite Wenger's claims that football is only a team sport, many supporters don't see it that way, they clearly love to focus on those individuals who have been the best players each year.