Shame. Still stark on the same record even after the results shows how big the gap was between #1 and (2/3). Either you are delusional or just a plain hater. But at least you are on the right forum so some people will cry with you.
I disagree. If Messi scores the chance vs Germany, the story would still be "was subdued vs Belgium, was invisible against Holland, and scored an opportunistic goal vs Germany which doesn't really do enough to hide the fact that Messi had a disappointing final as well as an overall disappointing KO stage; meanwhile, Cristiano broke an all time record at Champions League level." Messi needed to have a Maradona'86 type performance to challenge Cristiano, and after the quarter final vs Belgium, after the semi final vs Netherlands, it was reasonably obvious that Messi'14 would not be a Maradona type performance. CR7 already had "legit excuses" well in place. His team was mediocre. He was carrying a mysterious knee injury (note: a mysterious injury that suddenly disappeared as soon as La Liga started). When Pepe lost his shit vs Germany, that was the icing on top of the excuse flavored cake. CR7 "post WC14" has played for a team that has won 10 games by a difference of at least 3 goals, out of the 18 league games that have been played so far. That's over 50% worth of easy wins. Over 50% worth of Cristiano inflating his stats against weak opposition, with 8 goals coming from PKs out of 18 games played? That's pretty much unprecedented stuff. Real Madrid wins over 50% of the games that they play by at least 3 goals or more. Cristiano Ronaldo has 8 PK goals out of 18 games played, pushing his PK stat to around 50%. No other Barcelona team, no other Real Madrid team, as far as I know, had won 10 games by a difference of at least 3 goals, after playing just 18 league games. If that's how "CR7 took his chance to push Messi down the reign" then we might as well conclude that the Ballon d'Or is given to the player who benefits the most from team edge... which in reality beats the whole purpose of "individual awards". Oh well.
I don't agree with all that, but I agree that even if Messi won the World Cup then CR7 would still have won this Ballon d'Or. The voters' memories are short here in the Twitter and Facebook era. This was proven in 2013 when pretty much the whole 2012-13 season was ignored because Ronaldo got a hat-trick against Sweden two days before the vote. This is another reason why the vote should take place in July or August. That would be right after the most important events of the season occurred and therefore the most important events would get weighted the heaviest in voters' minds.
Ultimately, C Ronaldo's complete failure (first round exit!) at the WC should have been enough for him not to win the award, or arguably even be nominated. The marketing of his sponsors and the influence of the Real Madrid machine however have changed what was the usual viewpoint on greatness.
Madrid is on course to score 130 goals by the end of the season. Which will be higher as their 2011-12 record when they had 121 goals. Or Barcelona in 2012-13 when they had 115. But Ronaldo is also scoring at a higher rate as he has ever done. It will also depend on whether they'll fight until the end for the title, or throw away the last few games (which has happened in the past).
well it should be more like this: ----- CR7 ------ Messi ------ Robben ------ -- Iniesta ------ Kroos ------ Di Maria ---- Lahm ------ TSilva ----DLuiz -----SRamos ----------------- Neuer --------------------------
For La Liga, that is correct. This season, excluding penalties, Ronaldo has 35.3% of Madrid's league goals. In 2011-12 he had 31.2%. In 2010-11 he actually had 34.0%. But in 2007-8 with Man Utd, CR7 scored 35.5% of his team's league goals, excluding penalties. Messi's best was 37.8%. This season, Messi is at 36.4% (higher impact/share than CR7 had in any season ).
What you just said actually works against C.Ronaldo. I'm sure Adidas loves seeing a Nike sponsored player being the Ballon D'or winner.
No need of Maradona 86 performance (nor Pele 58/70), with a similar performance of Rossi 82, or of R902 ... Messi would have surely got ballon Dor by July 18th 2014 last bold, was it not how it worked out for Messi ( 4 consecutive Ballon Dors) with Greatest Barca team ever in history (10-13)? Ironically that was the year FIFA changed their rule to combine with Ballon Dor !
I don't care about the Ballon d'Or, not when Messi won four in a row, and not now. But if it makes you feel better to visualize me having a nervous breakdown just because some bullshit award, so be it. If anything is not healthy, is how you assume that other people take bullshit awards as seriously as you do.
Rossi'82 would not be enough, simply because Messi is compared with Messi or Maradona, not with Rossi'82 or Forlan'10. But perhaps you are correct, I mean, scoring goals is evidently all that matters in this era, so perhaps Messil pulling off a Rossi'82 would have sufficed. Secondly: yes, it is true that Messi did benefited from "team edge", with the difference that Messi 10/11 or 11/12 was clearly better than any version of Cristiano. Messi 10/11, for example, was determinant in the round of 16 vs a strong Arsenal team, semi finals, and final of the Champions League. Meanwhile, Cristiano was a complete non-factor in the semi finals and in the final of the CL.
All this means is just a temporary respite from the daily non-stories of "Messi says Ronaldo is the best in the world" "Jose says Messi is the best" "Ronaldo: Both of us are the best, and Jose is the greatest manager of all time" pumped out by a football press that usually has very little to say. And those earrings on each ear...it's getting real icky. Is a dress next?
look - I said IF Messi could pull off a performance in KOs like Rossi 82 (6goals in last 3games including Final win goal) in order to win his ballon Dor 2014. No one compared Rossi to Messi as player ability. secondly, I agree that Messi at his best 2010-12 were better than any CR7 13 or 14 However, that (greatness) also owed to the team edge or not?
Perhaps you are correct, I mean, scoring goals is evidently all that matters in this era, so perhaps Messi pulling off a Rossi'82 would have sufficed. Personally, I have to remain honest and say that I don't think Rossi'82 would be enough. But I can definitely see your point. Fully agree -- that level of performance also "owed" to the team edge. The difference is that Messi often was determinant vs the big teams, and in the semi finals, and in the finals. On the other hand, Cristiano was largely redundant in the last three CL games. Sergio Ramos even needed to score a 90th minute equalizer vs Atletico Madrid in the final, with Cristiano having an awful game. In other words: Cristiano clearly depends more on team edge, whereas Messi was able to look like a more genuine article even when surrounded by a great team. That's my opinion anyways.
One thing I must agree with you James It is as much a clear fact as much as gravity pulling us toward the Earth is clear, that Messi's lack of performance in the last 3 games in WC14 is the sole reason why he missed the award. Would he had scored at least one goal in SF, he would have won this Ballon D'Or for sure. Like @Pipiolo said earlier, his lack of impressing us in the finals made him suffer the price. But on the other hand, @leadleader got a point though and there is a pattern in that CR7 seems to be eating from the crumbles falling off the table from Messi's lunch leftovers. CR7 seems to be shining when Messi's having a low moment. Oh, dear. what I just said in my last paragraph here above might have woken Edgar "Ed the Poe" from his beauty sleep. How dare we speak badly about CR7. I guess i am in trouble am I?
FIFA Coach of the Year Award 36.23% Löw 22.06% Ancelotti 19.02% Simeone Such double standards, when it's about coaches, suddenly World Cup matters. But then again money controls, and who has easily the biggest online cash cow? Moneynaldo.
The FIFA Coach of the Year Award should have gone to Simeone, coached a team with one fourth of Madrid's spending power, broke the Madrid-Barcelona duopoly in La Liga, and by the 89th minute his team was winning the Champions League Final. Amazing how Germany's coach somehow deserves more merit than Simeone. But at least this serves as further proof of how absurd the award is today. "Individual performance" is no longer the standard, instead, team edge such as playing for the best team or such as coaching the best team, is now much more valuable than actually being the best player or the best coach.
IMO, a pretty useless stat. At the end of the day, as said elsewhere here, their stats are inflated anyway. Obviously that has it's own merit, but at the end of the day it doesn't really mean shit if your team doesn't win a trophy, right?
You end your post assuming that he cares about the award as much as you visualize he does to help yourself appear uncaring. More of that trademark irony.
True. But using how many goals their team scored overall is one way to put into perspective the inflated stats (especially when comparing to, say, 1980s serie A when entire teams scored 40-50 goals per season (and those were the top teams)). Besides, you don't have to go back too far to find a ballon d'or winner whose team didn't win a trophy.
@leadleader makes 6 posts concerning a "bullshit" award that he "doesn't care about." Even more irony?