The best player in the whole world in the last 4 decades in a row 1987 until 2027 . ! Ballon d'Or winners + Diego Armando Maradona 1986, 1990 and 1995 .Awards !
On Johan's Throne Until now, the Netherlands had only had one of its representatives on the top step of the Ballon d'Or podium: Johan Cruyff, winner three times (1971, 1973, and 1974). The arrival of Ruud Gullit crowned one of his compatriots, who thus followed in the footsteps of his glorious and illustrious former player. The second Dutchman to have his name on the award list, he was also the second AC Milan player to be honored after Gianni Rivera in 1969. The new star of Calcio won undisputedly with thirteen citations for first place, compared to five for Futre, second, and four for Butragueno and Michel, the two Real Madrid teammates, third and fourth respectively. A comfortable lead for Gullit, who had only received four points in the previous vote. It must be said that between 1986 and 1987 many stars disappeared from the rankings, including Igor Belanov himself, winner in 1986 and victim of a crash a year later: he did not score a single point! The Dancer and the Athlete The glory of football lies in successfully distinguishing individualities in an eminently collective game, despite the determination of certain technocrats to make them as flat as jerseys under an iron. The artist is not a number; he doesn't live at the address given in the phone book. He vibrates, he hums, he is above the clouds. Yet we know he exists. How could we not notice him? He is the one who sweeps aside the commonplace to make a soul sing. He is the voice of a people. We must therefore distinguish him. (.) Since life is mischievous and football its pleasant emanation, the 1987 Ballon d'Or winner parachutes us a Northern European whose father has Indonesian skin and whose braided hairstyle finds its source somewhere between reggae and the sailing ship ropes of centuries past. Gullit is a phenomenon born in the kingdom of Orange to revolutionize football and propel the "total footballers" of the 1970s into the third millennium. A rare combination of virtuosity, collective spirit, and spectacular Of an artistry, he is an athlete and a dancer, a mocker and a magician. Unique too, and so convinced he needed no masters that he once outraged Italy by asking, in front of a huge portrait of Rivera: "Who is that guy?" This guy, according to Gullit, is featured in the France Football Ballon d'Or gallery. This guy, named Gullit, is making a strong entrance among his elders. He's probably not done reigning, as he brings rich health, appetite, and creativity to a sporting activity that was oriented toward calculating and modulating energy. Thanks to Gullit, thanks to his two runners-up, Futre and Butragueno, the balance may be tipping. It's the weight of artists, the weight that makes us feel so light and makes our hearts celebrate. Classement Ballon d'Or 1987 1. Gullit (Pays-Bas, Milan AC), 106 points. 2. Futre (Portugal, Atletico Madrid), 91 pts. 3. Butragueno (Espagne, Real Madrid), 61 pts. 4. Michel (Espagne, Real Madrid), 29 pts. 5. Lineker (Angleterre, FC Barcelone), 13 pts. Classement World Ballon d'Or 1987 1. Ruud Dil Gullit (Pays-Bas, PSV , Milan AC), 81 points. 2. Rabah Madjer 80 pts. 3. Diego Armando Maradona 79 points . 4. Futre ..(Portugal, Porto, Atletico Madrid), 71 pts. 5. Hugo Sanchez 29 pts.
Under the Sign of the Netherlands and Milan The Ballon d'Or election was held under the dual sign of the Netherlands and AC Milan, who imposed their law throughout the year on the pitch and in the voting. Thus, the Dutch school managed to place four of its students in the top five, even achieving a fabulous treble with Van Basten, Gullit, and Rijkaard. It must be admitted that Dutch football had done very well, winning the Euro and the European Cup with PSV. This was not the first time that a country had placed three of its nationals in the top three. In 1972, the podium was already entirely West German (Beckenbauer, Müller, and Netzer), but never since the trophy's creation in 1956 had a single club achieved this treble. AC Milan entered the record books. He could even boast a fourth player in the top ten, Franco Baresi, who finished eighth. But the main beneficiary of this doubly historic vote was none other than Marco van Basten, who did better than his compatriot Gullit, winner the previous year, and who threatened Michel Platini's record, set in 1984, with the incredible score of 128 points out of a possible 130. With 129 points out of 135, Milan's Dutch striker was not far from scoring an orange stone in a success that took on the appearance of a triumph. Profession Top-Goalscorer Marco van Basten's triumph in the 1988 European Ballon d'Or was the crowning achievement of a champion true to his nature and his conviction of who he is. It was an important event, because it dismissed the many creators or pseudo-creators buried at the 40-meter line in favor of the aristocracy of the game of football: the goal scorer, the man of all risks subject to the vagaries of the ball's arrival, frustrating tactical schemes, and inevitable injuries given the aggressiveness of defenders and the weakness of referees. Van Basten is currently the survivor of an ancient team on the verge of extinction. And, at the same time, the near-ideal "product" adapted to a certain form of consumption. For he combines technical virtuosity, psychological impermeability, speed of emergence, execution, body balance control, a tactical sense (false leads), and heading accuracy % . You can't ask for anything more from Marco Van Basten because he has everything. What's interesting to note in Van Basten's case, and which must be constantly emphasized, is that at the beginning of his career, technique was at the same time a sense of goal, one or the other supporting the other. Anyone who knew Van Basten at the junior or cadet level remembers a superb ball handler, already adapted to all situations in front of the opposing goal, lively, precise, clever, never off-kilter. Then came the rest, including his "body game," in a Dutch football that doesn't shy away from contact. Van Basten left nothing unseen in the center-forward game. He is at once a classic Topgoalscorer, an inspired goalscorer, and an inventive one. Van Basten is neither better nor worse than Eusebio or Gerd Müller, who preceded him on the list of achievements. He is wonderfully suited to the football of his time and, in our era of goal scarcity, he revalues attacking play with panache and audacity, as symbolised by his brilliant volley against the USSR in the Championship final. Classement Ballon d'Or 1988 1. Van Basten (Pays-Bas, Milan AC), 129 points. 2. Gullit (Pays-Bas, Milan AC), 88 pts. 3. Rijkaard (Pays-Bas, Milan AC), 45 pts. 4. Mikhaïlitchenko (URSS, Dynamo Kiev), 41 pts. 5. R. Koeman (Pays-Bas, PSV Eindhoven), 39 pts.
Andrei Shevchenko's victory capped the first decade of the "globalized" Ballon d'Or, which was inaugurated in 1995. During this period, an African Ballon d'Or winner (Weah), three South Americans (Rivaldo and twice Ronaldo) slipped into the list of winners alongside six Europeans (Sammer, Zidane, Figo, Owen, Nedved and Shevchenko), demonstrating profound transformations in the world of international football. The eighth winner from Eastern Europe after Masopust (1962), Yashin (1963), Albert (1967), Blokhin (1975), Belanov (1986), Stoichkov (1994) and Nedved (2003), Shevchenko overcame a very strong competition, ready to do battle. He distinguished himself by... not leaving the European Championship of the current year, unlike Rummenigge (1980), Platini (1984), Van Basten (1988 and 1992), Sammer (1996) and Figo (2000). It seems that those present at Euro 2004 were wrong from start to finish, notably that of letting Greece create a surprise and general embarrassment. Deco and Henry, to name but two, seemed to have bowed out to the Greeks, respectively in the final and quarter-finals of the competition, as much as to Shevchenko in the final stretch of the race for the Ballon d'Or. As for Ronaldinho, if he did not suffer from an excessive presence at the European Championship, his excessive absence from the year's awards caused his downfall. So there remained the superb prince of the Ukrainian plains who, with his double title of champion and number one scorer of Italy – always the best passport to gain recognition from a jury –, with, still, slung over his shoulders, Ukraine's excellent run in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, won without a fight. A reward that would sooner or later come his way: fourth in 2003, third in 1999 and in 2000, we saw "as big as that" Shevchenko, one day, at the top of the bill. The Modern Blokhin At twenty-eight, Andrei Shevchenko is an accomplished footballer, a consummate striker, and a talent recognized for its true worth. While, like a few other Ballon d'Or winners such as George Best or George Weah, he has never had the chance to showcase his skills with the national team in a major tournament, there is no doubt that he possesses the makings of an exceptional player and leader, that he possesses enough attributes to deserve such recognition and that he will eventually leave his own mark on history. Raised in the legend of Oleg Blokhin, the idol of his youth, whose style, virtuosity and legacy he claims, shaped, like him, at the school of Dynamo kyiv by Valeri Lobanovsky, one of the great masters of this game, educated, therefore, in certain principles, Shevchenko has always had, it seems, the scope of his aspirations and the strength of character necessary to reach the summits. But, since a striker, however great he may be, is nothing without his partners, he still had to wait to come to AC Milan and rub shoulders with Italian football to assert his personality and his ambition, to fully express his potential and to acquire his true dimension. Like Blokhin in the past, Shevchenko draws his strength above all from his running speed, his acceleration, his explosiveness, his power, his quality of movement, his breaking game, but also from his endurance, his athleticism and his culture of effort which allow him to create depth, create space, multiply his runs, vary his runs, create movement, offer collective solutions and, thus, to carve out gaps in defenses and make enormous differences. Like Blokhin, he has formidable skill in front of goal, speed of execution in the final move, technical skill (catching the ball, control, forward sequence) and astonishing flexibility of foot, exceptional quality and power of shot, but also a glance in the box, composure, self-control and ease in one-on-ones which also make him an outstanding finisher. And, if his elder was a better dribbler than him, more feline without doubt also, and even more disconcerting with his feints and his hooks, he relies, for his part, on a head game, a sense of positioning and a volume of expression even superior. Another thing the two Ukrainian strikers have in common? Even though he remains drawn to the opposing goal, by nature and by training, Shevchenko remains a profoundly team player. His intelligence allows him to interpret all situations and manage both strong and weak moments well. He is capable of adapting to all sorts of tactical configurations, alone up front or with a second striker, in a team that likes to control the ball, like Milan, or that plays on the counterattack, like Ukraine. Le classement du Ballon d'Or France Football 2004 1. Andreï Chevtchenko (Pays : Ukraine / Club : Milan AC) 2. Deco (Portugal / FC Barcelone) 3. Ronaldinho (Brésil / FC Barcelone) 4. Thierry Henry (France / Arsenal) 5. Theodoros Zagorakis (Grèce / Bologne)
In the late 80s, Gullit was the unstoppable force that led an unstoppable AC Milan juggernaut that dominated European soccer. Deservedly winning soccer's equivalent of the MVP award (1987 Ballon d'Or), the Dutch international was soccer's equivalent to a triple-double machine.
Cristiano Ronaldo wasn't voted the 53rd Ballon d'Or by the world press; he was the subject of a veritable plebiscite. With 446 points out of a possible 480, his name was the clear choice for France Football's international jury, sweeping everything in its path, with the clarity of a hurricane. He was the only prone player to have the honor of appearing on the 96 ballots. And there was no need to recount them one by one for verification! In Beijing as in Los Angeles, in Johannesburg as in Reykjavik, in Auckland as in Riyadh, in Paris as in Moscow, the same judgment of excellence applied to the global star. His dazzling presence in the Champions League, his exceptional consistency in the English Premier League, and his (numerous) sumptuous goals in both competitions, shown ad nauseam by every television channel in the world and constantly relayed on the web, allowed him to stand out from the crowd. Heir to Law, Bobby Charlton and Best, who won the Ballon d'Or with Manchester United, and successor to Eusebio and Figo, the only two Portuguese players to have won the award, the future certainly seems to belong to Cristiano Ronaldo, provided he wants it. From a temperamental kid to a man of character We saw Cristiano Ronaldo coming. He moved closer to the goal, methodically. He conscientiously accumulated the arguments in his favor. For two years, his performances in the Manchester United jersey made his victory a given and, frankly, a rather pleasing prospect. The date of the celebration was missing. We have it. Cristiano Ronaldo is the Ballon d'Or winner, and his triumph, handily, to cheers, seems absolutely crystal clear. We could almost forget that there was another time, much more hostile to the Portuguese. A time when Alan Shearer, live on national television, declared his desire to "slap one" on him. A time when The Sun printed his face on targets and suggested its readers aim right between the eyes. A time when Cristiano Ronaldo received threatening letters every day. Some even came with a delicately packaged white powder. Fake anthrax. To scare him. It's not that long ago. Two years, barely more. The man designated as responsible for Wayne Rooney's sending off in the quarter-finals of the 2006 World Cup, Ronaldo advanced under the insults and boos of England. Sometimes, there was also the spitting. He was the man to be brought down. (...) Under the broadsides of His Majesty, the Portuguese had to stop being a temperamental child and become a man of character. Against all odds, that's exactly what he was going to achieve. Technically, the Portuguese took off at the same time. He enriched his game, emptying it of his gifted but ham-fisted childlike gestures. He became a passer. In his runs, he began to pause. He looked around him. This was his genius in the play-making. Preferring sequenced acceleration to straight-line bursts. Slowing down, despite his fiery legs. For the first time in his career, Cristiano Ronaldo is intelligent on the pitch .
Without wishing to offend his competitors, there was no contest for the award of the forty-second France Football Ballon d'Or, so much so that Luis Nazario de Lima, known as Ronaldo, its winner, dominated the ballot from start to finish. The vote turned into a plebiscite. Three other trends emerged from the 1997 vote: 1. Ronaldo was the first Brazilian winner of the trophy. After Africa and Weah in 1995, a year coinciding with his "globalization," the Ballon d'Or this time headed to South America. 2. The Brazilian star also became the youngest winner ever awarded the prize. Born on September 22, 1976, he was just twenty-one years old. The previous record holder was George Best, twenty-two years old (1968). Eusebio, for his part, was twenty-three when he won the prize (1965). 3. After a year of transition, during which the jury entrusted him to a defender, Matthias Sammer in this case, Ronaldo took over the baby in the name of attack and forwards. The superiority expressed by Ronaldo was the clearest, the widest since 1956. Two hundred and twenty-two points on the scoreboard, one hundred and fifty points ahead of the second-placed player, it was unprecedented. Winner of the Copa America, the Cup Winners' Cup, the Copa del Rey, top scorer in La Liga, the subject of the "transfer of the century" from FC Barcelona to Inter Milan (180 million francs), author of truly fabulous sequences of play or gestures, very fair play, the Brazilian perfectly met the requirements of the Ballon d'Or charter even if, for some jurors, youth can always wait. Pelé's son Pelé, Maradona. two of the strongest players in the history of football, the only two arguably who, at the same age as Ronaldo, barely twenty-one, were already, like him today, the best in the world. These are the references that come to mind when we talk about the Brazilian prodigy. Like his two elders, Ronaldo demonstrated exceptional precocity. He played professionally before the age of sixteen. In terms of his origins and physical appearance, he resembles his compatriot much more than the Argentinian star. However, overly precise comparisons would be dangerous, because football has changed a lot and Ronaldo's career is just beginning, while the other two can be judged on their entire oeuvre. The new Ballon d'Or winner was not as lucky as his compatriot, who was launched by Feola midway through the 1958 World Cup to boost the attacking power of a previously sluggish Brazil, and who took off as soon as the central forward duo of Vava and Pelé was formed. Ronaldo was present in the United States, for a World Cup where the Brazilians, despite their victory, could have improved their performance. But it was in midfield that they had a slight problem. Up front, the Bebeto-Romario tandem was running smoothly. Before exploding at Barcelona and then Inter, Ronaldo got his feet wet in the Netherlands, in a good competitive league, but within a good team as well, PSV Eindhoven. With this background, in any case, he exploded within a few weeks in the high-profile Spanish league. Like Pelé, Ronaldo is a futuristic player. His asset is his speed. Speed in his running, but also in his thinking and flair of creativity in his dribbling, his cuts, his changes of direction. Once he turns and manages to get going, he poses a practically insoluble problem for the defense. He always has something up his sleeve, as if he had a booster, and his muscle tone and balance ensure him a huge percentage of favorable counters against opponents who are often off balance. There is a clear connection between Ronaldo's goals after 40 or 50 meter raids through the Spanish defenses, those of Pelé that we could admire in the epigraph of a film made a quarter of a century ago and entitled The Giants of Brazil, or those of Diego Armando Maradona against Juventus 1985 Serie A calcio or against England and Belgium during the 1986 World Cup. However, Ronaldo cannot be reduced to a defensive piercer who runs faster than others with the ball at his feet. He is a more complete attacker than he appears starting . His control is impeccable ambi-dextrous feet . His shot is very effective. His technique is more restrained than that of Pelé or Maradona, a sign of the times and perhaps of his earlier arrival in Europe where the game is more stripped down. Classement Ballon d'Or 1997 1. Ronaldo (Brésil, Inter Milan), 222 points. 2. Mijatovic (Yougoslavie, Real Madrid), 72 pts. 3. Zidane (France, Juventus Turin), 63 pts. 4. Bergkamp (Pays-Bas, Arsenal), 53 pts. 5. Roberto Carlos (Brésil, Real Madrid), 47 pts.
Diego armando Maradona is a clear case of the Argentine Myth or drama or Legend that surpassed his real performances on the field ;; in the medium to long terms he was a very very irregular, inconsistent player, limited both physically and tactically . What saved Diego .. was that he had Bravery leadership vision aggression determination good behaviour in Big Finals when he was focused on a specific competition
Lionel Messi is a unique player. A genius, almost mystical. One of those indescribable, fascinating players whose excellence and talent elevate football to the level of an art. The player admitted that 2012 was not "his best year." He only won one title, the modest Copa del Rey, with FC Barcelona. But his individual performance once again dazzled the football world and made up for his lack of titles. At only twenty-five years old, Messi, now the influential leader of a reviving Argentina national team side, entered history a little further this Monday evening by winning a fourth consecutive Ballon d'Or, following a vote by a panel made up of coaches, national team captains, and journalists. As Barça's conductor, he delivered top-notch performances that delighted the football world. Gerd Müller's record (85 goals in the calendar year 1972) was not held back by him (91 goals in 2012)by clubs . Michel Platini Dethroned ! A fabulous creator, an exceptional dribbler, and an unparalleled finisher, Messi has achieved a new feat, this one unprecedented. He, who until then shared the spotlight with Michel Platini (three consecutive titles), Johan Cruyff, and Marco van Basten (who won the title three times), is now alone in the world. He is the first player in history to win the prestigious trophy four times. Consecutively, no less. And he still has his whole future ahead of him.
The Lombard Kings With Milan's bid for the Ballon d'Or unabated, AC Milan was rewarded with a second hat-trick after the previous year's (Van Basten, Gullit, and Rijkaard). The Milanese were, as in 1988, four in the top ten, with Franco Baresi, eighth twelve months earlier, replacing Ruud Gullit (second), who had dropped to seventh place. While the triumph of the Orange national team had played a large part in the 1988 trifecta, it was AC Milan's complete control of the European Champion Clubs' Cup that facilitated this latest feat. Winning the Ballon d'Or three years in a row was something only Real Madrid had achieved before AC Milan, with Di Stefano (1957), Kopa (1958), and Di Stefano again (1959). But it was the old rival, Juventus, who still held the record with four consecutive Ballon d'Ors thanks to Rossi (1982) and Platini (1983, 1984 and 1985). The big winner of the year was, once again, Marco van Basten, who won a second Ballon d'Or in a row and entered the elite behind Di Stefano (1957 and 1959), Cruyff (1971, 1973 and 1974), Beckenbauer (1972 and 1976), Keegan (1978 and 1979), Rummenigge (1980 and 1981) and Platini (1983, 1984 and 1985). The seventh player in history to achieve this feat, he still had to challenge Cruyff and Platini to win a third Ballon d'Or. Diabolical in their ability A year after the triumph of Rinus Michels's Orange, it was another European champion (a club champion, this time) who influenced the choice of the European journalists consulted by France Football. It is clear that, through the leading trio of Van Basten-Baresi-Rijkaard, it was AC Milan that was rewarded and honored. And, with them, a team was crowned whose original organization and tactical leadership, as well as their entrepreneurial spirit, fostered the full development of its individual talents. The reverse is also true. Van Basten, Baresi, Rijkaard: it should be noted that the three men each played a key role in each of the team's three lines. Marco van Basten was, once again, the decisive scorer in important matches (Red Star Belgrade, Real Madrid, Steaua Bucharest), but he was not only that. Let's not forget that the Dutchman often has to play a thankless role. Alone at the forefront of the fight, until the team has converted to the offensive to support him, he is exposed to severe and redoubled marking, which he controls thanks to a flexibility and agility that are astonishing for a player of his size and build. His remarkable technical ability is evident in his off-balance ball handling, but also in his smooth or nervous dribbling, which, with a surprising liveliness of movement for a 1.88 cm striker, allows him to use one-on-one or in the most delicate situations. His heading game and his great composure (effective even for converting penalties) are his other assets. Finally, it should be noted that the frequent absence of his teammate Ruud Gullit hasn't diminished the performance of this distinguished, elegant center-forward, who is not only a profiteering Topgoalscorer, but also his own manner Of goal creator.
In keeping with tradition, Lothar Matthäus didn't have many real competitors, as radiant as he was throughout the twelve months of the year. Schillaci only danced for one summer during the World Cup; Brehme, the brilliant full-back, was in his teammate's shadow; Gascoigne didn't live up to all the hopes placed in him; the Dutchmen Gullit, Van Basten, and Rijkaard shone only with AC Milan, and the Belgians, the Spanish, and the Yugoslavs stopped short. Matthäus thus consecrated the renaissance of German football and respected the tradition of opening the decades with a German Ballon d'Or: Müller in 1970, Rummenigge in 1980 and Matthäus, therefore, in 1990. He also allowed, with a sixth trophy, to put the Germans back on level terms with the Dutch (Cruyff, three; Gullit, one; Van Basten, two) and allowed Inter to reduce its terrible gap with AC Milan (four Ballons d'Or) on the occasion of its first success. Because neither Suarez (crowned in 1960 in the colors of Barça), nor Facchetti, nor Corso were distinguished during their three or four fabulous years. Glory to Matthäus, therefore, and glory to Inter! An Elephant of the Game After his spectacular debut in the world competition, Lothar Matthäus reclaimed his soldier's uniform, becoming an officer, tasked with setting up defensive markers and maintaining order within the regiment. With his panache tucked away and his prudence slung over his shoulder, he was never again, during the five matches that followed West Germany vs. Yugoslavia and West Germany vs. United Arab Emirates, the irresistible actor he had been twice seen at the San Siro. He was nothing more than the perfect captain of a team launched towards conquest and programmed to win. Which, in exchange for his freedom, brought him glory and caused us, a little, a lot, regret. For Matthäus, if he is not Pelé, is an elephant of the game, one of those around whom a team is built and on whom we can rely. Matthäus, despite his exceptional vital energy and a real taste for commitment and contact, is a footballer of rules and conscience. Individually, he is not sublime in any way; but he is good in all aspects of the game and quite remarkable in the use of his ball striking. This allows him to be at ease in all areas of the field and to move from defense to creation without embarrassment or false notes. This is what we would have written, without adding anything, if Matthäus had remained at Bayern until the end of his career. Fortunately, for himself and for football, he one day joined Inter Milan; and it was thanks to Calcio, thanks to Trapattoni, thanks to the expanded creative potential, that he became a different player, a more rhythmic, more assertive champion, a Ballon d'Or winner, in short. The Matthäus of the end of 1990, the Nerazzurri's number 10, scorer of several stunning goals in the Italian Championship, is of the same caliber as the Matthäus of the World Cup. He is captivating, spectacular, irresistible. He is a running elephant, which gives his Ballon d'Or distinction all its justification and value. Classement Ballon d'Or 1990 1. Matthäus (Allemagne, Inter Milan), 137 points. 2. Schillaci (Italie, Juventus Turin), 84 pts. 3. Brehme (Allemagne, Inter Milan), 68 pts. 4. Gascoigne (Angleterre, Tottenham), 43 pts. 5. Baresi (Italie, Milan AC), 37 pts. 6. Klinsmann (Allemagne, Inter Milan), Scifo (Belgique, Auxerre), 12 pts.
Coming from nowhere In keeping with its tradition of individual awards that favor artists and creators, the 1993 Ballon d'Or once again honored an attacking player. Since 1976, the trophy had always gone to a striker or playmaker. Roberto Baggio thus followed in the footsteps of previous winners and, with 142 points, was close to securing the top spot among the thirty judges. Completely ignored by the jury in 1991 and 1992, credited with just eight points in 1990, the Juventus Turin player came almost from nowhere, and this sudden emergence rewarded a champion in tune with the realities of his time. In this contest, which was fairly straightforward from start to finish, he had no rivals capable of maintaining the suspense for the final victory. There was a time when contenders were counted by the dozen, with, in some years, a cohort of Beckenbauer, Maier, Gerd Müller, Netzer, Cruyff, Mazzola, Rivera, Keegan or Overath from which it was difficult to make the right choice... The 1993 vintage was, on the other hand, much more modest, with only Dennis Bergkamp as a somewhat serious rival and Eric Cantona to keep the mood going. The fourth Italian crowned, after Sivori (1961), Rivera (1969) and Rossi (1982), Baggio also allowed Juventus Turin to win the sixth Ballon d'Or in its history. He directly stamps victories Roberto Baggio's choice as the number one player of the year in Europe is beyond any doubt. It is certainly Baggio, as Arrigo Sacchi lucidly points out, "who often displayed the finest qualities on the football pitch" in 1993 and who, far ahead of others, demonstrated consistency in footballing expression at the highest level. (.) At the origins of the game, and still in some countries like Brazil and England, it is first and foremost the player who is singled out in recruitment, for his ability to be himself with the ball and to create with his feet. Influence on the game flows naturally, so to speak, like without any athleticism. The Genius player, above all, is the Baggio's game. In this definition, Roberto Baggio, like Maradona yesterday, is first in line. He is a footballer from head to toe, by his average height (1.74 m), by his very very higher technical quality, by his instinctive cunning and malice (especially as a Top-goalscorer), by his decisive art of the counter-attack situations, by the possession of the absolute weapon (sprint speed, relaxation), therefore by his superb of acceleration. To this he adds, without ever denying his vocation as a virtuoso, but in the direct line of the evolution of an intelligent champion, a clear collective vision of the game on the Ball, the aptitude (still little shown) of the decisive and stunning pass, the efficiency on set pieces. What would be missing from this first violin, often a solitary inventor and perfect conductor when he wants to be? Baggio is a decisive-playmaker, a man who directly impacts victories. Not only does he capture the popular imagination, but he also represents a solid reality about managers, a fashionable corporation in the modern world. He is therefore worth more than Franco Baresi, whose influence on AC Milan's game is enormous, but this influence is based on rules and classicism, and without going beyond the framework of controlled creation. The King of the clutch Actions ! Classement Ballon d'Or 1993 1. R. Baggio (Italie, Juventus Turin), 142 points. 2. Bergkamp (Pays-Bas, Inter Milan), 83 pts. 3. Cantona (France, Manchester United), 34 pts. 4. Boksic (Croatie, Lazio Rome), 29 pts. 5. M. Laudrup (Danemark, FC Barcelone), 27 pts. Classement World Ballon d'Or 1993 1. R. Baggio (Italie, Juventus Turin), 142 points. 2. Romário 83 pts. 3. Muller 34 pts. 4. Toninho Cerezo 29 pts. 5. Ruud Dil Gullit 27 pts.
In World Cup years, things are set like clockwork. The winner of the Ballon d'Or almost always emerges from its ranks. If he hasn't won it, it's never been far off. Or perhaps, in one way or another, he has left his mark on the event, without having otherwise lingered on the various paths of the season. Not only is the World Cup a golden egg, it's also a Ballon d'Or prize pool. How can we be surprised, then, that it produced the name Zinédine Zidane for the 1998 edition. Given the triumph of the French team, Zizou's formidable hold on the final, and his excellent personal equation with Juve (Italian champion, Champions League finalist), it was the least he could do. Ultimately, his winning was no surprise. But that his victory could have turned into a plebiscite, not to say a provocation (176 points in the view of the second), is something one would not have suspected from someone who is modesty made man. After Raymond Kopa (1958), Michel Platini (1983, 1984 and 1985) and Jean-Pierre Papin (1991), Zidane was the fourth French player promoted in the order of the Ballon d'Or, at the same time as he brought France its sixth victory, thus coming back to within one length of Germany and the Netherlands, joint holders of the record in the category The advent of Zizou I marked the return to the charts of what, for ease of language, were called playmakers. The precedent in this genre was called... Michel Platini. The water that flowed under the bridges from 1986 to 1997 carried its cargo of center forwards, Goalscorers, "nine and a half" and even "liberated liberos", like Igor Belanov, Ruud Gullit, Van Basten, Matthäus, Papin, Baggio, Stoitchkov, Weah, Sammer and Ronaldo. But not a shadow of an "old-school" number 10, a withdrawn center forward, a real animator when, in the 50s and 60s, before Platini's reign, they had been a hit (Kopa, Di Stefano, Suarez, Sivori, Masopust, Law, Albert, Charlton, Rivera, Cruyff). With his trophy under his arm, Zidane found himself in very good company! A prodigy who took his time There's no denying that the football fairies generously looked after the young Zinédine Zidane. The 1998 Ballon d'Or winner is, first and foremost, an extraordinarily gifted footballer, excellent tactically and physically, and who has also managed to progress mentally to become a great all-around player. At twenty-six, he hasn't reached his peak, and there are two or three areas where he can still improve. At AS Cannes, it didn't take months to realize they had found a rare gem. At the time, and there's nothing particularly unusual about this, it was primarily technically that the young Marseille player was breathtaking. In this respect, the one that determines everything, because at the level we're discussing here, there is no super-player without super-technique, Zinédine Zidane is an absolute prodigy. Incredibly skillful and adept with all surfaces of the foot, the outside, the inside, the instep and even the sole (he is one of the kings of roulette), gifted with infallible timing, he rarely misses a ball control or a pass. With his velvety touch, he caresses the ball with small touches, and possession never poses any difficulty for him. His ball protection is no lesser exceptional, aided by his impressive size. He also possesses astonishing coordination. He has been known to string together two close-quarters tricks capable of leaving two or three opponents with their noses to the turf. The same goes for another of his specialties: leg passes, which are all the more dangerous for opponents because he is able to multiply them while running and conclude them with a hook to the inside or the outside, since his left foot poses no problem for this natural right-hander. Finally, when it comes to ball use, he is above the rest, thanks to a precise and powerful shot, effective in long changes of play, and a vision of the game that he continues to improve. Zizou rarely misdirects an attack or counter-attack. It's unclear whether Zizou always valued himself, but he finally realized it at Juve. He'll always be an introvert, but he realized some time ago that he was one of the greatest players alive today, and that allowed him to flourish and achieve the recognition he deserved. At his own pace, which isn't necessarily in keeping with an overly impatient era. Classement Ballon d'Or 1998 1. Zidane (France, Juventus Turin), 244 points. 2. Suker (Croatie, Real Madrid), 68 pts. 3. Ronaldo (Brésil, Inter Milan), 66 pts. 4. Owen (Angleterre, Liverpool), 51 pts. 5. Rivaldo (Brésil, FC Barcelone), 45 pts.