Ballon D’or 2019: who will win it? (Alleged leak: Messi 1, Van Dijk 2, Salah 3).

KekiZeki

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Lewandowski has a career mark of 0.68 goals per game. Aguero 0.58 per game, Suarez 0.67 a game, even Ronaldo is "only" at 0.74 goals per game. Attackers are not supposed to score at a ratio of 1 goal per 1 game because that would make you one of the best players of all time. Oh and Messi's goal per game ratio is actually 0.88.
I meant between 3 of them at that one game they should have scored. They didn't, paved the way for Liverpool to an easy final.
 

MalcolmTucker

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I meant between 3 of them at that one game they should have scored. They didn't, paved the way for Liverpool to an easy final.
Thing is, Messi scored 2 goals and set up 6 chances over the two legs. You're laying the blame on Messi when he was comfortably the best player for Barca in both legs - it's stupid.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Thing is, Messi scored 2 goals and set up 6 chances over the two legs. You're laying the blame on Messi when he was comfortably the best player for Barca in both legs - it's stupid.
Absolutely. He created a few very good chances at Anfield as well.
 

B20

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I just wonder- what does Lewandowski need to do more to win it. Scoring more than Messi and Ronaldo isnt enough.
It isn't enough when Messi has so much more quality on the ball besides the goalscoring.

Slithering out in the round of 16 in the CL doesn't help.
 

Redo91

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Anyone else confused by Alisson winning best GK award? I’ll acknowledge quality even if they’re at Liverpool (they’ve the best CB, LB and RB in the world plus the best front 3) but Alisson winning best GK ahead of Ederson and Ter Stegen is bizarre.
 

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Criminal that Sergio Ramos is not in the top 30. He scored like 3 panenka's this season alone. Best defender ever.
 

giorno

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Anyone else confused by Alisson winning best GK award? I’ll acknowledge quality even if they’re at Liverpool (they’ve the best CB, LB and RB in the world plus the best front 3) but Alisson winning best GK ahead of Ederson and Ter Stegen is bizarre.
I'm confused by your post actually, Alisson winning best gk award was the one non-controversial result(ok, one of the two. Rapinoe was an obvious winner as well)
Criminal that Sergio Ramos is not in the top 30. He scored like 3 panenka's this season alone. Best defender ever.
Sergio pulled his name from the award because he'd win it unanimously every year otherwise, wouldn't be fair
 

Swoobs

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Anyone else confused by Alisson winning best GK award? I’ll acknowledge quality even if they’re at Liverpool (they’ve the best CB, LB and RB in the world plus the best front 3) but Alisson winning best GK ahead of Ederson and Ter Stegen is bizarre.
Well personally I think Alisson is the best goalkeeper, and is as important as vvd to liverpool winning the champions league.
To me, Alisson deserves to be 3rd in the Ballon Dor
 

VeevaVee

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Anyone else confused by Alisson winning best GK award? I’ll acknowledge quality even if they’re at Liverpool (they’ve the best CB, LB and RB in the world plus the best front 3) but Alisson winning best GK ahead of Ederson and Ter Stegen is bizarre.
He's pure hype based off clean sheets that aren't down to him. A decent keeper that does instill confidence, but nothing more.
 

TheOx

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Anyone else confused by Alisson winning best GK award? I’ll acknowledge quality even if they’re at Liverpool (they’ve the best CB, LB and RB in the world plus the best front 3) but Alisson winning best GK ahead of Ederson and Ter Stegen is bizarre.
He won the Champions League, Copa America, had the most clean sheets in the league...

Shall I go on?
 

KirkDuyt

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What did Messi do this this year, I don't really follow Barca?

Threw away the CL and won domestic league. That's Ballon D'Or form is it?
Think he did score a few goals along the way. He also scored twice in that semi final and gifted a few sitters to his teammates in the return leg. Silly award anyway, it's a team game, metrics for these individual awards are a bit weird.

I mean, why the feck is Griezmann above Tadic? Because it's Dusan fecking Tadic who played for Southampton and he shouldn't be that good, yet I'd say he was much better than Griezmann last year.

I'd say Messi or VVD where both sort of logical winners, since there isn't really another stand out player. At least not one I can think of.
 

DWelbz19

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Buffon getting found out? You love to see it. So overrated it's not even funny.
Total bum. It’ll be brilliant if Juventus lose the league due to him re-signing and placing a clause in his contract to have X amount of games, just to get the most appearances in Serie A record. Up there with Gerrard for ego and reputation over actual ability.
 

van Hooijdonk

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Think he did score a few goals along the way. He also scored twice in that semi final and gifted a few sitters to his teammates in the return leg.
Not only in the return leg, in the first leg also. The missed sitter from Dembele in the 95th minute was awful. There were 1-2 more chances when he gave it on a plate for teammates and they blew it.
 

MalcolmTucker

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What did Messi do this this year, I don't really follow Barca?

Threw away the CL and won domestic league. That's Ballon D'Or form is it?
Top scorer and assister in La Liga. As well as topping basically every attacking statistic like dribbles, through balls, chances created etc.

Top scorer with 12 goals in 10 games in the CL. Had 6 KO goals in 6 games.

That's Ballon D'Or form.
 
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Renegade

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Messi and Ronaldo are victims of their own success. “What did he do this year?”that poster asks. Has a Man United player ever had a season like Messi had last season? Would a united fan ever say what did Rooney,Eric or RVP ever do in their best season? If you’re not impressed by what Messi did last year you I’d like to hear what individual season has impressed you.
 

trims

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What did Messi do this this year, I don't really follow Barca?

Threw away the CL and won domestic league. That's Ballon D'Or form is it?
What did Van Dijk do to deserve the Ballon D’or more then?

Threw away a 7 point lead in the league and lost the nations league. That’s Ballon D’or form?

On a serious note whilst Van Dijk has been great this year he was nowhere near Messi. This idea that the CL winner automatically wins the Ballon D’or started when Messi and Ronaldo were putting in crazy numbers and the only way to separate them was to see who won the most amount of trophies.

Fact is Van Dijk plays in an amazing team with the best coach in the world, best RB/LB in the world and arguably the best attacking right now.Van Dijk was at fault for the first 2 goals at the camp Nou where he got caught ball watching.

2nd leg he was caught out several times letting Suarez and coutinho in for 1 on 1s and Alisson bailed Liverpool out. Messi was also through on goal and Matip whos so underrated because he cost nothing made a tackle that probably put Liverpool through.
 

Camara

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Top scorer and assister in La Liga. As well as topping basically every attacking statistic like dribbles, through balls, chances created etc.

Top scorer with 12 goals in 10 games in the CL. Had 6 KO goals in 6 games.

That's Ballon D'Or form.
Not saying I don't agree with you, but Ronaldo for example has 5 goals in 4 knockout CL games (2019 calendar year, including an hattrick to pull the team back to go through), won Serie A and was Juventus' and "officialy" the best player of the league, with a respectable 21 goals in 31 games (last year, this year so far has 6 goals in 11 games), then also scored the winner in the Italian Supercup.
Then for Portugal won the Nations League with an hattrick in the semis, and ended the national team year with a total of 13 goals in 10 games.
And people still say he did nothing - which is absurd to say the least.
He isn't doing well in the CL this year (only 1 goal) but Messi isn't stellar here too. And Messi also did little in Copa America.

So basically the difference is Messi's usual fantastic performance in La Liga vs Ronaldo's performance in Serie A (which is still good), but Ronaldo did better internationally than Messi which seems to be brushed upon.

I'm not saying Messi doesn't deserve it, or Van Dijk that of course isn't going to be involved in a lot of goals and won the most important competition, but people generally look at one thing and ignore everything else, the same happens to Ronaldo when he wins or does something.
 

Rasendori

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From the breakdown, Africa, North America, the Caribbeans, South America and Oceania, all voted for Lionel Messi. Virgil Van Dijk was the people’s choice in Europe and Asia.
 

RobinLFC

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What did Van Dijk do to deserve the Ballon D’or more then?

Threw away a 7 point lead in the league and lost the nations league. That’s Ballon D’or form?

On a serious note whilst Van Dijk has been great this year he was nowhere near Messi. This idea that the CL winner automatically wins the Ballon D’or started when Messi and Ronaldo were putting in crazy numbers and the only way to separate them was to see who won the most amount of trophies.

Fact is Van Dijk plays in an amazing team with the best coach in the world, best RB/LB in the world and arguably the best attacking right now.Van Dijk was at fault for the first 2 goals at the camp Nou where he got caught ball watching.

2nd leg he was caught out several times letting Suarez and coutinho in for 1 on 1s and Alisson bailed Liverpool out. Messi was also through on goal and Matip whos so underrated because he cost nothing made a tackle that probably put Liverpool through.
:lol: :lol:

This really proves to what ridiculous standards he's held these days. At fault, my word.
 

MalcolmTucker

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Not saying I don't agree with you, but Ronaldo for example has 5 goals in 4 knockout CL games (2019 calendar year, including an hattrick to pull the team back to go through), won Serie A and was Juventus' and "officialy" the best player of the league, with a respectable 21 goals in 31 games (last year, this year so far has 6 goals in 11 games), then also scored the winner in the Italian Supercup.
Then for Portugal won the Nations League with an hattrick in the semis, and ended the national team year with a total of 13 goals in 10 games.
And people still say he did nothing - which is absurd to say the least.
He isn't doing well in the CL this year (only 1 goal) but Messi isn't stellar here too. And Messi also did little in Copa America.

So basically the difference is Messi's usual fantastic performance in La Liga vs Ronaldo's performance in Serie A (which is still good), but Ronaldo did better internationally than Messi which seems to be brushed upon.

I'm not saying Messi doesn't deserve it, or Van Dijk that of course isn't going to be involved in a lot of goals and won the most important competition, but people generally look at one thing and ignore everything else, the same happens to Ronaldo when he wins or does something.
You're Portuguese so I know you love Ronaldo but while one is saving his team once again and scoring the winning goal in the last 5 mins away to Atletico, the other is getting subbed off. You really think Ronaldo, if he was actually the best player of 2019, would be getting substituted at the end of year in which he was declared the best? Think about it logically.

Messi outscored all his rivals, Ronaldo got outscored by a 36 year old Quagliarella. That's before you even start talking about Messi's playmaking and creative impact which dwarfs Ronaldo's.
 

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You're Portuguese so I know you love Ronaldo but while one is saving his team once again and scoring the winning goal in the last 5 mins away to Atletico, the other is getting subbed off. You really think Ronaldo, if he was actually the best player of 2019, would be getting subbed off at the end of year in which he was declared the best? Think about it logically.
So the ability to rate a player in a year depends only on what happens in the last game? I'm sorry, I'm portuguese so I can't understand this enlightned logic.
 

MalcolmTucker

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So the ability to rate a player in a year depends only on what happens in the last game? I'm sorry, I'm portuguese so I can't understand this enlightned logic.
That game didn't happen in a vacuum. You really think if Ronaldo had been the best performing player of 2019, that his manager would take him off when they needed a goal?

Ronaldo had a decent year, but it wasn't even one of his top 10 seasons let alone above Messi's (who had one of his best). If you think Ronaldo was actually better then I applaud your patriotism.
 

Sassy Colin

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What did Van Dijk do to deserve the Ballon D’or more then?

Threw away a 7 point lead in the league and lost the nations league. That’s Ballon D’or form?

On a serious note whilst Van Dijk has been great this year he was nowhere near Messi. This idea that the CL winner automatically wins the Ballon D’or started when Messi and Ronaldo were putting in crazy numbers and the only way to separate them was to see who won the most amount of trophies.

Fact is Van Dijk plays in an amazing team with the best coach in the world, best RB/LB in the world and arguably the best attacking right now.Van Dijk was at fault for the first 2 goals at the camp Nou where he got caught ball watching.

2nd leg he was caught out several times letting Suarez and coutinho in for 1 on 1s and Alisson bailed Liverpool out. Messi was also through on goal and Matip whos so underrated because he cost nothing made a tackle that probably put Liverpool through.
Who even mentioned VVD :confused:
 

IRELANDUNITED

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That might be true, but he is their most important player. Especially when it is a proven fact that every great team in club football needs to have a great defence behind it, something that it pretty hard to come by these days...

Yeah, but the Ballon D'or was for the worlds best players. VVD isn't him.
 

Schneckerl

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What do you expect. How many people have seen more than 10 games by Messi, Van Dijk and Cristiano this year, do you think?
Is that too much to ask from a "professional football journalist" (I know... that's a generous describtion for most of the voters) who has Ballon D'Or voting rights?
 

VanKenny

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People in here trying to start a myth like the 2010 balon de or one? I can see now this argument in a few years: "Messi stole Sneijder's balon de or in 2010 and VVD's in 2019!"



Messi was the best player on the planet last year, by far. The Balon de Oro goes to the best football player in the world, it doesnt go to the best player of the team that wins the CL, or the best player of the team that wins the world cup, etc.

Most goals scored in top 5 leagues, most assists on top 5 leagues, most goals scored on CL, la liga winner, most chances created out of all leagues, most dribbles, most key passes, etc.

Most MOTM performances by a player in 2019, 10/10 performances both in quarter and semifinals of the CL, against United and against Liverpool.

Him and Ter Stegen have been draging Barca to success for the last couple of years. Put Messi on Liverpool and put Van Dijk on Barcelona and Liverpool win everything while Barcelona barely make it out of the group stages of the CL. You only have to watch Barcelona play for the last 2 years to realize that this isnt an exaggeration.
 

TheOx

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Apparently VVD made a joke about Cristiano not even being a direct competitor to him this year, and his sister made a furious post about it on Instagram.
 

giorno

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Is that too much to ask from a "professional football journalist" (I know... that's a generous describtion for most of the voters) who has Ballon D'Or voting rights?
What are they supposed to do, spend 10 hours a day watching football games?
 

Redo91

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He won the Champions League, Copa America, had the most clean sheets in the league...

Shall I go on?
Ya he was part of a TEAM that won those things. All of them owe as much if not more to his team mates than him. Never understand when people mention trophies as pro (or lack of them as a con) when talking about an individual. It’s a team sport so I don’t place that much weight on trophies when deciding how good an individual has been.
 

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Cannot post the link due to technical issues but Togo named Lloris as the third best player in the world.
 

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Giving the Balon D'Or to Messi never seems like a wrong decision but hear me out guys. Are Modric and van Dyjk better players than Ronaldo and Messi in general? Offcourse not. BUT do they have the wright to have a brilliant season and overshadow them? I think they do. The goals and assists argument is a little silly when metioning van Dyjk. Modric has been the foundation as a holding midfielder for both club and country aldo he hasn't scored a lot of goals. Van Dyjk was immense in a fantastic campaign for Liverpool which resulted in the CL and an agonizing (for the Dippers offcourse) second place with 97 points. Offcourse the reward is going to go to the high scoring, dribbling, assisting offensive player 90 percent of the time. It's the hardest skill in football. Ronaldo and Messi have 11 between them. But every once in a while we get a player like van Dyjk who has been consistent and brilliant in what he does in a successful campaign for his club. It should not be overlooked and it has more than once. (Rivaldo won the whole thing in a funny old season us United faithful call the Treble season why didn't the whole thing go to Keano or Becks?) If Messi and Ronaldo constantly win the award (and then prehaps the likes of Mbappe and Neymar) then there is no point in nominating defenders and midfielders whatsoever.
 

TheOx

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Ya he was part of a TEAM that won those things. All of them owe as much if not more to his team mates than him. Never understand when people mention trophies as pro (or lack of them as a con) when talking about an individual. It’s a team sport so I don’t place that much weight on trophies when deciding how good an individual has been.
It sure makes a difference but it doesn't tell the whole story, after all, Messi won the Ballon D'or, and deservedly so, because he was the best performer of the year.
Alisson was really good, for both team and country. You can't have Ederson winning it when he was on the bench while Alisson was playing every game.
Also, his debut season at Liverpool was simply amazing, he single-handedly kept us alive in the Champions League against Napoli, and some other game
that I can't recall right now, but I think it was Barcelona at home. He made some GREAT saves.
 

giorno

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Ya he was part of a TEAM that won those things. All of them owe as much if not more to his team mates than him. Never understand when people mention trophies as pro (or lack of them as a con) when talking about an individual. It’s a team sport so I don’t place that much weight on trophies when deciding how good an individual has been.
Best goalkeeper in the PL(in a season in which CL sides made up both European Cups finals), best goalkeeper in Copa America, best goalkeeper in CL

The only one comparable statistically as a shot stopper is Oblak, and Alisson blows him away in possession and played a key role on better teams that won the biggest trophies of the year, including a number of vital saves that helped liverpool and Brazil win those trophies
 

trims

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:lol: :lol:

This really proves to what ridiculous standards he's held these days. At fault, my word.
First goal he literally watched Suarez run through and tap it in. You’d get slated for that in a friendly 5 aside game. Can’t post the link to the goal where its obvious to see but Ferdinand and Wenger picked up on it

‘He’s right in front of him – that’s your man – the no9 on the back of his shirt. Static. Virgil van Dijk there was static. It’s criminal.” -Ferdinand

“Especially from a centre-back with that quality… he lets him go. At the start his position is not bad, but he refuses to respond.” -Wenger

Similarly the 2nd goal, he was the nearest man to Messi but stopped following the ball and let Messi in for a tap in. Not sure how you can make a case against that.
 

RobinLFC

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First goal he literally watched Suarez run through and tap it in. You’d get slated for that in a friendly 5 aside game. Can’t post the link to the goal where its obvious to see but Ferdinand and Wenger picked up on it

‘He’s right in front of him – that’s your man – the no9 on the back of his shirt. Static. Virgil van Dijk there was static. It’s criminal.” -Ferdinand

“Especially from a centre-back with that quality… he lets him go. At the start his position is not bad, but he refuses to respond.” -Wenger

Similarly the 2nd goal, he was the nearest man to Messi but stopped following the ball and let Messi in for a tap in. Not sure how you can make a case against that.
I watched it again before I responded to be sure - Suarez makes an excellent run between our two defenders from the edge of the box, while our defenders are defending in a straight line in front of the goal because the ball is on the outside, which they are supposed to do. Good offense beats good defense every single time, and that's just a case where you cannot respond quick enough or you'd have to block him out straight cold. You'll probably say you take Ferdinand's opinion over mine and that's fair enough, but that's just a great goal by Barcelona and nothing more, otherwise you could point to the entire defense at fault in 90% of the goals scored. E.g. Henderson should've made sure that Alba couldn't cross, or Matip should've cleared the cross before it came to Suarez. If you wanna argue that our entire defense was caught there and should do better, I could understand that. But no way that that goal is the direct cause of a Van Dijk error.

The second one is a stupid rebound which the best player on the planet responds quicker to than Van Dijk because he's better positioned and facing the ball better than Van Dijk. It almost literally hits him in the chest off the crossbar. If you honestly want to argue that it's Van Dijk fault that Messi scores that goal, I'm just gonna let you.