As powerful as Barcelona is, and as marketable as Messi is, I just think the momentum of leading Liverpool to their first league title since 1990 and Netherlands first title since 1988, is just a wave too big even for UCL-winning Messi. I know he has his handicaps, and Messi has his advantages, but now that we see how powerful the African, North American and Asian markets are, we must not forget the influence the English media has over those markets. It's a massive if, of course. The chance of Liverpool winning the league title, Netherlands winning the EURO, and VVD being the star player in both victories, is very slim. My point is simply that if it does happen, I cannot see him not winning the BDO.
The north american soccer market is traditionally also heavily influenced by the Spanish hemisphere because of the Mexican influx. Middle and North America preferred Messi to a greater degree than the South Americans! Gazzetta dello Sport wrote that their colleagues should only ask European journalists again. Basically, under the classic rules Sneijder, Ribéry, Van Dijk and maybe Iniesta had all received one of that thing. One of Gazzetta their arguments are that now journalists are voting who don't watch the Champions League (or other major games). Those Caribbean Islands don't watch the Champions League. Interesting to note is the French representative had Mane on top, just as Mane winning the Onze d'Or (which is a vote by the public). In Senegal they speak, of course, French as first language. One good performing forward (and Mane does) can always pick enough votes away. He is one of the early favorites for PFA player of the year (voted in April, instead of February) and would have been a worthy Ballon d'Or winner as well if you ask me (as Edhardy says, I struggle to see an angle to put Salah in the top five).
“What? Argentina and Qatar backed Messi? Really?” (On the plus side, Trent Alexander-Arnold should book a summer break in Sri Lanka given that they placed him No 1). Ronaldo did not bother to attend last night's ceremony, so presumably the organisers are under pressure to privately announce the winner to him or Messi in advance, thus avoiding their ritual humiliation and phoney smiles. Ronaldo and Messi were reportedly fuming when Luka Modric had the audacity to break their duopoly in 2018 (neither turned up last year), so there was no chance of Van Dijk being allowed to repeat the trick. Once Messi confirmed his presence in Paris, the game was up. [...] One club has spat out so many dummies on red carpets in the past few years because their players did not win individual honours that they ought to announce a sponsorship deal with Mothercare. They embarked on a co-ordinated PR strategy, buttering up potential voters to avoid a repeat. Take your guess who. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/footbal...wins-ballon-dor-loses-little-credibility/amp/ Manchester United perhaps?
I disaree. Only world cup is greater story than champions league. Vvd had virtually as strong case as it gets in a nonworld cup year this year and he lost to uclless Messi. Messi lifting ucl again doing what he does is greater story than vvd being one of the good performers of his teams. Even now i dont think he is a favorite for another poty award. Yeah, i think Mane is overrated. Ive seen now from many people this narrative that Mane is a worthy winner.. ordinary world class year. Its perception is skewed by teams success. Nothing individually that hasnt been matched or surpassed by di maria 2014, salah 2018, ribery 2013, etc.
Another list, this time from Match magazine: 100. Vela 99. Quagliarella 98. Maddison 97. Cazorla 96. Chilwell 95. Ibrahimovic 94. Havertz 93. Dzeko 92. Henderson 91. Abraham 90. Haaland 89. Coutinho 88. Lukaku 87. Zaha 86. Marcelo 85. Mertens 84. Maguire 83. Sane 82. Eriksen 81. Depay 80. Dybala 79. Reus 78. Cavani 77. Pogba 76. Chiellini 75. Rashford 74. Icardi 73. Immobile 72. Isco 71. Hummels 70. Thiago Silva 69. Sule 68. Lacazette 67. De Gea 66. Bale 65. Neuer 64. Witsel 63. Rodri 62. Bruno Fernandes 61. Skriniar 60. Busquets 59. Mahrez 58. Thiago Alcantara 57. Saul 56. Bonucci 55. Di Maria 54. Vardy 53. Casemiro 52. Ederson 51. Verratti 50. Kroos 49. Pique 48. Kimmich 47. Pjanic 46. Gnabry 45. Sancho 44. Tadic 43. Varane 42. David Silva 41. Alaba 40. Fernandinho 39. Van de Beek 38. Marquinhos 37. Ramos 36. Modric 35. Ziyech 34. Suarez 33. Kante 32. Wijnaldum 31. Joao Felix 30. Ter Stegen 29. Fabinho 28. Alba 27. Benzema 26. Robertson 25. Laporte 24. De Ligt 23. Kane 22. Koulibaly 21. Son 20. Aubameyang 19. Alexander-Arnold 18. Bernardo Silva 17. Oblak 16. Aguero 15. Griezmann 14. De Bruyne 13. Alisson 12. De Jong 11. Neymar 10. Hazard 9. Firmino 8. Sterling 7. Ronaldo 6. Mbappe 5. Salah 4. Lewandowski 3. Mane 2. Messi 1. Van Dijk 100. Vela 99. Quagliarella 98. Maddison 97. Cazorla 96. Chilwell 95. Ibrahimovic 94. Havertz 93. Dzeko 92. Henderson 91. Abraham 90. Haaland 89. Coutinho 88. Lukaku 87. Zaha 86. Marcelo 85. Mertens 84. Maguire 83. Sane 82. Eriksen 81. Depay 80. Dybala 79. Reus 78. Cavani 77. Pogba 76. Chiellini 75. Rashford 74. Icardi 73. Immobile 72. Isco 71. Hummels 70. Thiago Silva 69. Sule 68. Lacazette 67. De Gea 66. Bale 65. Neuer 64. Witsel 63. Rodri 62. Bruno Fernandes 61. Skriniar 60. Busquets 59. Mahrez 58. Thiago Alcantara 57. Saul 56. Bonucci 55. Di Maria 54. Vardy 53. Casemiro 52. Ederson 51. Verratti 50. Kroos 49. Pique 48. Kimmich 47. Pjanic 46. Gnabry 45. Sancho 44. Tadic 43. Varane 42. David Silva 41. Alaba 40. Fernandinho 39. Van de Beek 38. Marquinhos 37. Ramos 36. Modric 35. Ziyech 34. Suarez 33. Kante 32. Wijnaldum 31. Joao Felix 30. Ter Stegen 29. Fabinho 28. Alba 27. Benzema 26. Robertson 25. Laporte 24. De Ligt 23. Kane 22. Koulibaly 21. Son 20. Aubameyang 19. Alexander-Arnold 18. Bernardo Silva 17. Oblak 16. Aguero 15. Griezmann 14. De Bruyne 13. Alisson 12. De Jong 11. Neymar 10. Hazard 9. Firmino 8. Sterling 7. Ronaldo 6. Mbappe 5. Salah 4. Lewandowski 3. Mane 2. Messi 1. Van Dijk
This is a fairly snobby and narrow-minded take from Gazzetta. The truth is that we have seen plenty of dubious selections from numerous big nations over the years and I can't detect over the years a correlation between footballing quality and the choices made by voters. We have no reason to think the journalists in the Carribean don't watch the Champions League.
Not saying I agree with GdS their 'recommendation' (I don't), but; Didn't you say recently (to Vegan10 I remember) that the idea of Riquelme in the conversation as Messi's equivalent, by pundits in Argentina and/or South America, is based on the time difference? That when the Champions League is on people (and also journalists) are doing other things. Then they see/saw those players in the Copa America or Libertadores and the perception gets flawed. I saw Sid Lowe asking this week how Javi Martinez has been doing in the Bundesliga. He doesn't follow this, and the Champions League games (unless against a Spanish team ofc), at all. Let alone when there is a time difference. Similarly, the important Liverpool vs City game was played at night for the time zone of Japan I think, and the Champions League games too. https://www.thisisanfield.com/2019/11/liverpool-3-1-man-city-player-ratings/
I think I said it was a factor, along with the fact he never played in Argentina. I would imagine (I might be completely wrong) that journalists in countries like Argentina with major domestic leagues would be more focused at home than countries in the Caribbean but I don't know. Your point though rather speaks to the problem of covering so much of the game. The voters from Europe (like Henry Winter from England) cover their own domestic leagues primarily. He'll have seen a lot of Van Dijk for instance but probably not that that much of Messi to make any sort of comparison.
Most probably the order would have been the reverse if the vote was done directly after the Club World Cup (provided Liverpool wins of course and there is the odd long pass for the highlight reel), which used to be the case. This is 'oddly' an event journalists from multiple continents follow, with their own teams in play, and perhaps the Americas even more so. It's a grueling schedule for PL clubs and chances are VvD will be one of the few to play all those games. Henry Winter seems to me someone who weighs 'the story' as much as performance and quantity. What I respect him for is that he made defending (more) fashionable again, when it is harder than ever to stop strikers, and he did that increase in appreciation all by himself. Teenagers now aspire to be Pirlo and a defender rolled into one, as the next phase to be done. Don't know for sure, but I know in Suriname it is like that. They struggle to follow what happens in Europe but of course the final is in a weekend at a favorable time. There is also a difference between, say Korea and certain mini states as the Seychelles, Saint Kitts (or Andorra, San Marino) I'd say.
https://instatsport.com/football/instat_index This explains it a bit. Definitely not perfect. I was mostly just happy to see Ziyech that high up lol
Funnily someone who became known (and was criticized) for losing the ball a lot. https://lmgtfy.com/?q=ziyech+balverlies
47 turnovers is an incredible amount, even against 126 touches. His productivity over the long haul is still world class.
Isn't that the natural price of high volume productivity anyway though? You have more turnovers when you're the one making the risky actions.
This was the Guardian's top 100: 100. Coutinho 99. Lacazette 98. Handanovic 97. Cazorla 96. Ibrahimovic 95. Gueye 94. Quagliarella 93. De Gea 92. Everton 91. Sane 90. Hakimi 89. Dele Alli 88. Lloris 87. Abraham 86. Havertz 85. Godin 84. Pukki 83. Gimenez 82. Pique 81. Verratti 80. Reus 79. Busquets 78. Mertens 77. Arthur 76. Depay 75. Gabriel Jesus 74. Henderson 73. Varane 72. Rashford 71. Marquinhos 70. Chiellini 69. Bruno Fernandes 68. Thiago Silva 67. Lucas Moura 66. Bruno Henrique 65. Alba 64. Zupata 63. Immobile 62. Jorginho 61. Casemiro 60. Icardi 59. Werner 58. Fernandinho 57. Dani Alves 56. Cavani 55. Pogba 54. Laporte 53. Haaland 52. Gabriel Barbosa 51. Lukaku 50. Pjanic 49. Mahrez 48. Vardy 47. Lauturo Martinez 46. David Silva 45. Modric 44. Kroos 43. Wijnaldum 42. Dybala 41. Eriksen 40. Ederson 39. Di Maria 38. Gnabry 37. Kimmich 36. Ramos 35. Felix 34. Fabinho 33. Van de Beek 32. Sancho 31. Neymar 30. Koulibaly 29. Ziyech 28. Aubameyang 27. Tadic 26. Suarez 25. Griezmann 24. Oblak 23. Robertson 22. Kante 21. Ter Stegen 20. Benzema 19. Son 18. De Ligt 17. Alexander-Arnold 16. Bernardo Silva 15. Kane 14. Hazard 13. Aguero 12. De Bruyne 11. Firmino 10. De Jong 9. Alisson 8. Sterling 7. Lewandowski 6. Mbappe 5. Salah 4. Ronaldo 3. Mane 2. Van Dijk 1. Messi https://www.theguardian.com/global/...e-100-best-male-footballers-in-the-world-2019
Belgium has been declared as the best European national team of 2019 by France Football België is uitgeroepen tot de beste nationale ploeg van Europa in 2019. Italië werd 2e, Portugal 3e, Spanje 4e, Engeland 5e, Nederland en Duitsland 6e.Duitsland en Spanje zijn de beste nationale ploegen van Europa in de jaren '10. Engeland 3e, België 4e, Nederland 8e.— Jurriaan van Wessem (@JurrVanWessem) December 24, 2019 Yet they have only four players in The Guardian top 100 (Brazil 17, England 9, France 9, Germany 8, Spain 7, Argentina 6, Italy 5, Netherlands 5, Uruguay 4, Portugal 4). The ones who should be in are not forgotten, but not a great amount beyond that, unlike a few other countries. As for the decade ranking, with England 3rd, compare that with this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Football_Elo_Ratings#Averages_by_decade It has been the decade of organized fake news, yellow journalism and relentless propaganda machinery for the ones with money. The reputation of Italian and Dutch football took a heavy hit this decade.
Why do you keep confusing incompetence with propaganda. There is no intentional, structural oppression of Netherlands in football. I know you would like to think opposite, but Netherlands is unimportant. Period. It is a common phenomenon that small nations are underrepresented and undervalued. Surely there might be an unconscious bias against Dutch football for whatever cultural reason, but it is exactly that, UNCONSCIOUS bias. You are reading waaaaay too much into it. Plus you are contradicting yourself all the time. Now you claim that Italian football took a reputational hit in this decade, but previously youve claimed Italy to be a part of top 5 rich oppressors. In what world is that consistent with your new, implied, claim that Dutch football took a reputational hit because of oppression? In what way is Dutch football challenging the status quo that they have to be oppressed? What is that blissful status quo, that the oppresors so dearly hold on to, anyway? And What is the huge financial incentive behind underrepresenting Dutch players in awards? Who financially gains from that? None of these have obvious answers, which is a non-starter for any disucssion going forward. You are falling down into the confirmation bias trap. If you look for them, arguments for oppression can be found in everyone's case. All nations are oppressed in some way. All of them, at one point, were treated unfairly in some way. It is just that you happen to be Dutch, so you dont care about finding out the ways in which all the German footballers were underrepresented in awards. Surely, there are dozens of example in past 25 for every nation. What is happening is this? Incompetence probably combined with some unconscious, cultural bias, that you are reading waay too much into because you are Dutch.
Please calm down a bit. You are conflating and mixing up a few things here. As you can read, I actually don't restrict my comment/observation to one country or team only. I was primarily talking about how a few sources regard the national team strength (I.e. the FF ranking and FIFA ranking) and how this matches with the inclusions and/or performances by Elo (over the decade or current Elo). Italian footballers are not as highly regarded as they were 15 or 20 years ago I think and you are mixing up a few things now. Either way, here the full list
The essence of my above post is simply I'm surprised how; 1) BEL is now #1 in Elo, #1 in the FIFA ranking, #1 in the (subjective) France Football ranking/survey. 2) Yet there are only four players among the best 100. All the players who *should* be in are there, but not the ones beyond that. That was the main tenet and substance of my post/observation (with at the end a brief remark about ITA and NED).
Incompetence, laziness, indifference. People are irrational. It is extremely difficult to apply any logic consistently. These are not fan projects made out of true passion for football with infinite time and motivation. They are paid to do them. More precisely, they are paid to make them as clickable and as readable as possible. They dont care about the truth at all. Which is why outsourcing your opinion to the l'equipe, the guardian, the gazzetta, the schmazzetta makes no sense.
You would think getting paid to do them would result in higher quality though. After all, instead of spending a few hours after work doing it, they get to spend 8 hours a day doing it.
Well yes, that is basically the same as how I see it. I don't think I have ever used the word 'oppression'. 'Oppression' is a strange word in the sense it is exclusively directed *against* something or someone rather than *for* something. It is something I didn't say.
Well it does result in higher quality.. But high quality to them is defined as: How many people click on the article How long they stay on the website afterwards How likely are they to share it The truth is merely a 2nd order consequence of these 3 parameters that arises coincidentally and situationally. If you are not optimizing for the 3 parameters, you are falling behind competition and eventually dying as a business. Everyone in the industry universally does that. If the financially most profitable strategy was to post absolute bs, they would post absolute bs.
The one thing is to say it, the other to show it. I believe one is defined by way he acts. If you truly believed that, i dont think you would be outraged. It is ever-present in all the layers of football. Propaganda at times benefits dutch players as well. You are having a very one sided view at times. "They are all about propaganda, we are all clean" kind of mentality (have in mind i havent read all of your posts). Of course with in group mentality you would never consider that Van Dijk for example hugely benefited from propaganda in 2019. Tell me in what world is it fair that, for ballon dor, Van Dijk scored 679 points and Alisson only 67? Alisson was arguably THE missing piece that pushed them to the new heights. Quite an easy case to make. A true man of the match of the boring ucl final. Almost never made any mistakes and on top of all of that, had very impressive, campaign-winning Copa America. Van Dijk is a markatable persona that some people want to take advantage of. Handsome, charitable, charismatic, speaks english fluently... Your south american mobs talk, rich leagues outrage, etc., is not what someone, who believes that, does.