Agree. He wouldn't have won it if he wasn't Messi, so no one would have had an issue with it.
It is a complete farce, not sure how anyone can even debate that?
Golden Ball nominees
- Thread starter Blackwidow
- Start date
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
It is a complete farce, not sure how anyone can even debate that?
Who won the cleanest boots award this time?
Pointless award. We should stop all the Americanised MVP bullshit.
Pointless award. We should stop all the Americanised MVP bullshit.
Its not a major award/ Get over it ffs
Do you think Robben or James Rodriguez even care that Messi got it over them?(Messi should not have won it btw)
This award convinces me about as much as the boxing scores. Seems as though it's all up for debate and open to speculation...a load of ceremonial bollocks.
Blatter needs to go.. FIFA is a joke!
I'm sorry. I usually like Messi but he just didn't deserve that award. I know it had to be one of the players in the final but I still think James is the one who really deserved it and if not him I think other were still more deserving than Messi despite him not really playing a bad final, especially in the first half.
Neuer already won the Goal Keeper of the tournament award so he was out of contention for this award albeit I still feel he was the one stand out performer of every knock-out game. Not a single mistake, so many crucial clearances and saves it was just ridiculous. For Argentina I felt Masscherano was probably the best player in the knock-out stages and the main reason for Argentina's defensive stability along with Garay and Demichelis who both were fabulous as well.
But the two player that got seriously overlooked for this trophy were imo Beoteng and Hummels. Both of them perfromed at the highest level during the knock-out stages and just because they are defensive players it shouldn't be a reason to overlook them for such an award. Especially Boateng who for me was man of the match in the final I feel awarding the player of the tournament to Messi was a bit of an injustice.
Well it is what it is and maybe they decided this as a bit of a consolation price but still it feels somehow wrong to award this trophy to Messi just for the sake of it.
Neuer already won the Goal Keeper of the tournament award so he was out of contention for this award albeit I still feel he was the one stand out performer of every knock-out game. Not a single mistake, so many crucial clearances and saves it was just ridiculous. For Argentina I felt Masscherano was probably the best player in the knock-out stages and the main reason for Argentina's defensive stability along with Garay and Demichelis who both were fabulous as well.
But the two player that got seriously overlooked for this trophy were imo Beoteng and Hummels. Both of them perfromed at the highest level during the knock-out stages and just because they are defensive players it shouldn't be a reason to overlook them for such an award. Especially Boateng who for me was man of the match in the final I feel awarding the player of the tournament to Messi was a bit of an injustice.
Well it is what it is and maybe they decided this as a bit of a consolation price but still it feels somehow wrong to award this trophy to Messi just for the sake of it.
Somehow, the newbee that I am, I cannot find the bottom to start the very last thread for this WC:
Who was actually the best player of this four week's football frency?
For sure not Lionel Messi.
My vote would go to Robben. He was brilliant at streches.
Other opinions?
Who was actually the best player of this four week's football frency?
For sure not Lionel Messi.
My vote would go to Robben. He was brilliant at streches.
Other opinions?
If someone who did not play the final could have been chose it would imo been between James and Robben. Both were absolutely great for their countries and better than Messi by a large margin. Still I find it kind of sad that it's always attacking players who seem to win this honor while someone like Boateng or Hummels who both played an excellent WC would also have been deserved winners imo.
There were at least 6 players who (imo) had a much better tournament, performance wise, than Messi. Including a couple of keepers. He was ultimately very very important to Argentina's progress with his end product though so I can see why he was up there, despite not playing well overall. Getting it over Muller or Rodriguez is a joke mind.
Also Navas or Ochoa should get instead of Neuer.
Still waiting for a good explain , why messi got it
Well Messi for sure is not the standout player i will remember of this tournament.
Might as well have given it to Fred.
I'm going to give Robben the same treatment Messi gets and say that he did nothing in any of the knock out games apart from the last 16, unless you count cheating for a penalty against Mexico.
End of the day, rightly or wrongly, the history books will say he won the Golden Ball for being the best player in the 2014 World Cup. It also means he's shot down the argument people had against him about not performing for his country.
In all honesty, winning a World Cup is trivial on the grand scale of things. I'd think no more of him had he done it in the all conquering Spain side when he had the chance to play for them instead of Argentina. It's a team sport, some need reminding of that.
In all honesty, winning a World Cup is trivial on the grand scale of things. I'd think no more of him had he done it in the all conquering Spain side when he had the chance to play for them instead of Argentina. It's a team sport, some need reminding of that.
The history books will say it but to be honest people like me will remember that he wasn't the best player of the tournament, he just wasn't. He was on his way, and he was one of them, but it just didn't click for him or his team in the semi final or final to really merit that award.
I could be wrong, but didn't Cannavaro get the award in 2006?
What does it even matter ffs. It's an individual trophy with zero meaning as you could see in Messis face when he got it. Anyone who thinks he cares about it? No. It's a team sport. Winning the cup matters, winning golden boot or glove or top scorer awards matters eff all.
For the history books Messi performed well in the world cup. It doesn't really matter if he was the best or not. He showed the world over the last 2 years or so that he can perform without his Barcelona team mates. That's what people wanted to see from him.
For the history books Messi performed well in the world cup. It doesn't really matter if he was the best or not. He showed the world over the last 2 years or so that he can perform without his Barcelona team mates. That's what people wanted to see from him.
No, Zidane did. Cannavaro won the Ballon D'or.
It's clearly a media-driven decision in the same way that Zidane and Ronaldo won the Ballon D'Or in 1998 and 2002 primarily on the back of their performances in the final. Or how Zidane won the Golden Ball in 2006 despite Cannavaro's impeccable performances. Obviously some are going overboard in their criticism in reaction to this decision, but the majority rightly agree that Rodriguez and Robben were particularly hard done by.
Still, I don't think either of the golden ball winners from '06 or '10 didn't deserve the award. Messi is a joke though.
Oliver Kahn won it in '02.
Oh, I'm not losing my sleep over itIts not a major award/ Get over it ffs
Do you think Robben or James Rodriguez even care that Messi got it over them?(Messi should not have won it btw)
My thought was just why have such an award even if you're only going to go by the names? The way it is now, the guy can even win the best player in the Euros award!Seriously? Who do you think cares to remember the "golden ball" winner? You do realize the awards of this sort are getting farcical by the year, right? It only takes 2 seconds to dispute the claim (if you're going to use that to back up your arguments that he's the bestest ever) by saying: "Oh he did nothing that WC, it was just FIFA being FIFA"!
Now I'm not disputing the fact he is the best player in the world regardless of what he achieved with his NT and his arguably the best ever, nor am I using his shortcomings with NT as a stick to beat him, but come on, you're just too desperate to try and make him look like he's a GOD.
People keep telling me that he set his standards too high even for himself to beat, hell no: it's not a case of him being not better than his previous self, it's rather a case of a few players' performaces better than his. It could have all about himself like you wish it would be, but it just wasn't - unfortunately for you, he wasn't anything special at all and definitely not better than the ones that should have won it.
Him winning wasnt that badOh, I'm not losing my sleep over it
Your acting like Fred won it. This is Messi you know. He scored 4 goals, created the most chances and his team were in the final.
I do think,they were better candidates though but who cares
Oh, I'm not losing my sleep over it
Wrong. Exactly my point.
Dont be upset. Its not a major award
He never scored in the knockout stages and scored all his goals in the easiest group. Says it all really.
Rodriquez -
6 goals
2 assists
Scored in every game
Muller -
5 goals
3 assists
Messi -
4 goals
1 assist
All goals scored in the group stages
I also think Robben played better than Messi. He was definitely in the top 5 but a long way off the best player as he failed to show anything against the better teams. He won it because of his name and that is it.
Rodriquez -
6 goals
2 assists
Scored in every game
Muller -
5 goals
3 assists
Messi -
4 goals
1 assist
All goals scored in the group stages
I also think Robben played better than Messi. He was definitely in the top 5 but a long way off the best player as he failed to show anything against the better teams. He won it because of his name and that is it.
To be honest, I don't recall every single game of Zidane and Forlan in 2006 and 2010, but I wonder: Have they also been pretty much absolved from doing any kind of defensive work and were they also allowed to take their "20 minutes + timeouts" in pretty much each and every single game? If yes, then we would have indeed a double standard here, but honestly, I doubt it....
Or in other words: Can a player still deserve the golden ball, if he doesn't have to do any kind of "dirty work" and in addition is allowed to totally disappear from the game occasionally?
Yes, he can, but then he should score (and assist) a lot more than Messi did in this tournament....and do so WHEN IT REALLY COUNTS MOST, means in the knock-out stage.
And that's my problem with Lionel Messis performance at this world cup....when making a choice for the best player, you can't just judge him on his moments of sheer brilliance, you also have to take into account, how hard was the guy actually working for his team? And in that regard he's getting a BIG INSUFFICIENT in my book.....
P.S. The question is of course, whether he didn't work more, because he didn't feel well, but if you allow that to become a decisive factor, you're going to get a pure compassion-trophy in the end....
Of course he was joking, he and Bastian told the reporter she had to speak Bavarian. Then he replied with what you quoted in a Bavarian accent
You can see it here at 0:59 http://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/wm-news/mueller-veraeppelt-moderatorin-36806682.bild.html
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