Big underestimation of Zico for 1982. Unfairly punished for not winning the WC? I really expected him to be a close runner up of Paolo Rossi at worst...
In 1983 the method of reaching a winner changed with correspondents being asked to pick the best player of the year. This time 65 correspondents were involved. This is where Michel Platini started to stamp his name among the very top players in the game. He would win his first of a hattrick of France's European football Ballon d'Ors, but would this mean he would have won a global Ballon d'Or? Well, Falcao and Zico would have given Platini strong competition this year. Zico was winner of World Soccer's reader poll, while Platini obtained the local Onze d'Or poll award. Also, the Argentinian publication of El Grafico conducted a global award with 52 journalists from Europe and the top 5 ended like this: 1.) Platini 165 points 2.) Falcao 117 points 3.) Zico 65 points 4.) Rummenigge 59 points 5.) Maradona 43 points The only downside was that there was only one non-European correspondents involved. Also, one does not know who voted for whom, but one does know who was involved. (I believe that was the only year in the 1980s that El Grafico decided to conduct such a poll). The 52 that voted: But for Guerin Sportivo the top 5 based on first place votes were the following: 1.) Falcao 23 points 2.) Zico 16 points 3.) Platini 12 points 4.) Rummenigge 5 points 5.) Maradona 2 points Socrates 2 points Interestingly, if we go by the previous method of how they reached their conclusions, then Falcao was the most named player in the best XI of the year with 56 votes out of 65 - so he would have won regardless - but then things would look very different, since Rummenigge would have ended in second place with 51 votes, Zico would be third with 50 votes, Platini 4th with 45 votes and Cabrini would land into 5th spot with 39 votes, while Maradona would drop to 6th spot with 27 votes. 1.) Falcao 56 points 2.) Rummenigge 51 points 3.) Zico 50 points 4.) Platini 45 points 5.) Cabrini 39 points 6.) Maradona 27 points Socrates, South American and Americas footballer of the year, would have trailed well behind these 6, not making the all-star team. The All-Star team or best XI in the world in 1983 was the following: Dasaev; Gerets, K.H. Foerster, Hysen, Cabrini; Falcao, Robson, Platini, Maradona; Zico, Rummenigge. They also started to include the best managers and teams for each year.
So it's uncertain if Platini would have won a world Ballon d'Or. Falcao, winner of the scudetto with AS Roma, highest rated 82/83 foreign player in Serie A by Guerin Sportivo, winner of Guerin Sportivo's world player of the year award, could well have edged him instead. For 1984 there would be no doubts... To be continued...
A very clear divide by nation here. Almost every single British voter went for Shilton in goal, almost no foreign voter did. I think that reflects to a large degree the limited international coverage that was available. I've always found it strange how little praise Shilton gets abroad. Similar case in terms of the Yugoslavs voting for Luka Peruzovic who admittedly was playing for Anderlecht at the time.
A lot of praise for Denmark (42 vs 5 points), but not for the players. Maradona receiving his only two votes from Barcelona journalists. Socrates receiving his two votes from UK journalist.
Anderlecht won the UEFA Cup in 1983. Interesting that Gullit gets a mention as defender by 'kicker'. Interesting to see Platini was so dominant in the 1983 Ballon d'Or. I remember 'World Soccer' noting (probably to pimp up their own award too??) that in 1982 Giresse was second because it included many correspondents based in Paris. http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/europa-poy83.html The Italian voters are divided about the top player behind scudetto winner Falcao. One opted for Rummenigge, one for Cabrini, four opted for Platini, five for Zico, sixteen for Falcao. In total 27 Italian voters, excluding the Monaco voter. Platini was excluded by: Monaco (co-owner was Italian), one Italian voter (Lino Cascioli; had Socrates, Zico, Boniek and Jesper Olsen instead), one other Italian voter (Corriere della Serra went for Magath, Socrates, Conti, Zico), all three FC Barcelona voters, two of the three Croatian voters (all other five Yugoslavian voters did include him), nine British voters (five included him), two Spanish-speaking South American voters (three included him; it had no Brazilian voters). Dalglish, Simonsen and Strachan (2nd-4th in Ballon d'Or) get only a few mentions. http://forums.bigsoccer.com/threads/messi-vs-football-records.1983902/page-16#post-27579254
Falcao is excluded by one Argentinean voter, four British voters (excl. Glanville who refused to make a team), two Barcelona voters, one German voter. Also interesting is that Rummenigge had the second most inclusions behind Falcao, but two of the three kicker editors excluded him. Apparently not completely convinced about his then-recent form (as reflected in match grades and the downgrade to 'international class' in both the 1st and 2nd half of 1983 I believe). Zico is excluded by 8/27 Italian voters, the Monaco voter, one Barcelona voter, one France Football voter, one English (London), one Argentinean and the one Uruguayan voter. Among the 64 who sent a team.
Socrates, coming off a great WC in 82 despite the upset loss, and having won the SAPOY after leading Corinthians to three consecutive titles, should have been on the team over Robson.
Interesting that Simonsen finished so high in this and in the Ballon d'or (3rd) given that his season was split between Charlton Athletic in the English Second Division and Veijle in Denmark, was it international performances that made him finish so high?
In 1984 Michel Platini topped all the awards. Top rated Serie A footballer by Guerin Sportivo, winner of the scudetto with Juventus, winner with the French NT at the Euro. He won all the accolades and prizes that a player could possibly win: Ballon d'Or, World Soccer, Onze d'Or and, Guerin Sportivo d'Or for the best player of the year. This time 70 journalists/TV correspondents were asked to pick the best player. The top 3 for Guerin Sportivo in 1984 based on first place votes: 1.) Platini 63 points 2.) Ian Rush 3 points 3.) Maradona 2 points If we go by the previous method of how they reached their conclusions, then below was the order of the most voted into the best XI of the year. Top five most voted in the best XI for 1984: 1.) Platini 63 points 2.) Rummenigge 48 points 3.) Ian Rush 47 points 4.) Briegel 43 points 5.) Tigana 38 points This time Zico and Maradona would not make the all-star team, with Maradona receiving only 7 votes and Zico 5. As was the case with Socrates the previous year, Francescoli, the South American footballer of the year, was disregarded as a potential nominee to the throne, and not making the all-star squad. The All-Star team or best XI in the world in 1984 was the following: Schumacher; Briegel, K.H. Foerster, Bossis, Cabrini; Tigana, Souness, Platini, Robson, Rush, Rummenigge. There is no doubt that this was the year that Platini had no rival that could challenge the throne. To be continued...
He gets one mentions from a German journalist, two from Yugoslovian journalists and two from English journalists. But you mean of course the El Grafico poll where he was in the top 8. You can read here why Simonsen was third in the 1983 Ballon d'Or: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwL4ev1QI1K6d08xLXF0b21CMFE/edit?pli=1 It was because he was the captain of Denmark and Denmark qualified for euro84. The English voter had him even as #1. For some reason it carried some weight, the match where he scored the penalty kick for a 0-1 win. http://www.dbu.dk/landshold/landsho...rInfo.aspx?playerid=3497&teamtypeid=330#match (own score is mentioned first, score of the opponent second) He scored 4 goals (2PK) in 7 international games that 1983 year.
I've noticed he plays the 'flip' pass to J.Olsen to win the penalty he scored vs Hungary here at 1:45: The voters must have had more idea than us (at the time, as opposed to now) I guess in terms of how he played in those qualifying games but I could imagine that at that stage his status was still higher than say Elkjaer's and meanwhile Laudrup, having a great start to his Lazio career, was not playing in every qualifier (he was more of a regular key player in 1985 for the WC 1986 qualifying games). These votes conducted by Guerin Sportivo are more favourable for Bryan Robson than Dalglish (although we're comparing a midfielder to a forward ofc) which I might have expected for 1984 but not so much for 1983. I think Dalglish's start to 82/83 might not be fully credited in any of these votes, somewhat understandably, but at the end of 1983 he was scoring goals like these:
Francescoli in 1984 is slightly like Dalglish in 1983 in that of course there are votes for him from Argentina (Britain for Dalglish) but not as many as might have been expected and there are about as many from elsewhere on the continent (South America for Enzo, Europe for Kenny). Scifo is the Enzo with most votes in 1984 (not a huge shock, but I wouldn't have been surprised if it was Francescoli) but I guess we'll see if that turns around in 1985 or not.
On Pezzey again, I realise now he was also somewhat of a libero apparently. When Puck mentioned him in discssions about unselected players in the 'B' Draft, I said I wasn't so familiar with him and still am not in all honesty. I only just realise now in fact that he died in 1994, so is another, like Scirea, who could be listed in a Great Deceased Players XI/Squad selection I guess. Regarding central defenders who were good coming forwards, the lack of Alan Hansen mentions is a bit surprising, especially since Mark Lawrenson does get a few inclusions.
He had also an assist in a friendly against France that they won with 3-1 in Copenhagen. I think though that it is the Wembley match that carried a lot of weight for him. In the Ballon d'Or list also a Danish, Swedish, Finnish (and Dutch) voter are asked. The Danish voter preferred Morten Olsen, the Swedish Jesper Olsen, the Dutch Morten Olsen and the Finnish had Simonsen at #5, with him indicating that he can't see a higher place for him. Dalglish getting few inclusions is interesting considering that he was 2nd in 1983. Elkjaer was 3rd in the 1984 Ballon d'Or. He gets 17 inclusions (of 70). Boniek was 3rd in 1982 but gets only 9/39 inclusions here.
Yeah, for Dalglish in 1983 his placing in the Ballon D'or list was won by some high placings within journalists top 5's but for Boniek in 1982 it's more a case of volume of votes he received overall albeit he did get 7 second place votes. I suppose the Ballon D'or has more geographical variety (in Europe) but Guerin Sportivo's poll gets more of a reflection of views inside certain countries. Boniek was up in 6th for the Ballon D'or in 1985 so we'll see how he does in this poll in terms of inclusions. Only 6 out of 26 voters actually put him in their top 5 but it was enough to get 6th anyway. For attacking players the other factor (not necessarily including Boniek or certainly Platini in this as they would/could be put in as a midfielder - on the other hand for some years maybe it is in midfield where the most top contenders are) is whether getting inside a top 5 vote or getting in a selected XI is the more likely to occur. It could be close, as only 2 or 3 forwards are likely to be selected in each XI.
Maybe Simonsen did have a really good 90 minutes in that England game then. Of course the result was a famous one. For the France friendly it'd seem like Laudrup stood out more probably wouldn't it?
For a player who was maybe more known as creator/provider Simonsen's goalscoring in 1983 is pretty good I suppose, but as said he was in the English second tier and back in the Danish league. EDIT - It is a good assist by Simonsen vs France though to be fair too.
I don't want to be annoying but so far I'd say that Guerin Sportivo reflects more the reputation and brand value even if a player has played very little and achieved little in a year (on the other hand it is interesting how internal views of players contrasts with external perceptions, for ex. how the continuing high standing of Rummenigge sort of contrasts with the internal German voters themselves), whereas Ballon d'Or has a little bit more geographical spread indeed (e.g. the 1980 Belgians; Platini and Blokhin in 1981; Boniek in 1982; Dalglish, Simonsen and Strachan in 1983; Elkjaer and Chalana in 1984 - all ended in the top 5 Ballon d'Or). And tends to place a player lower over time when the player has done/won things in a year that doesn't surpass what he has done/won before in his career, even if his form is somewhat similar or comparable (in the reflections for Ballon d'Or you can also occasionally read that they become tired of voting for a player, and that the player has done nothing new compared with earlier years).
Dont you guys think that if Guerin also limited its scope to Europeans, thus ruling out all South Americans, greater geographical spread would have naturally be seen?
Looking at the results and how far they are behind, I don't think that. It would still be largely the same. Or at least more so than the Ballon d'Or. I do think that the results will appear different if more Northern-Europeans had been asked, and fewer journalists based in Italy or Barcelona.
I think it could be that a Zico or Maradona sometimes could take the potential place of a Dalglish or Simonsen (assuming that Rummenigge is being selected by the voter say). My original geographical spread comment was more about the voters rather than players but I suppose I was implying that it would have an effect on the players selected too (the proportion of borderline Italians as compared to some other nations' players at times maybe).