The smart money would appear to be on Real Madrid’s Vini Jr. being the winner of this year’s Ballon d’Or, however, Stan Collymore’s opinion about the award is likely to ruffle a few feathers.
Pomp and circumstance generally surrounds the award ceremony, which is due to take place this year on Monday, October 28 at the Theatre du Chatelet and, for only the third time in the history of the award, it will be given based on the results of the season (2023/24) instead of the calendar year.
Man City ace, Rodri, could certainly lay claim to being the recipient of the award, however, it’s believed that Vini Jr has already been told he has won.
Renowned journalist, Fabrizio Romano, also couldn’t believe that three brilliant players were left off the list of nominees.
Vini Jr could become a worthless Ballon d’Or winner
There’s often been a question mark in recent years over whether the award is even worth worrying about nowadays, and Stan Collymore’s opinion will certainly ruffle a few feathers in Madrid and beyond.
“I think that the high water mark for the Ballon d’Or was during the Messi and Ronaldo era, quite simply because they were two exceptional players putting out exceptional numbers week in and week out,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.
“To be perfectly honest, I don’t care about the Ballon d’Or at all. If it didn’t exist, there’s still the PFA Player of the Year, the PFA Young Player of the Year, Player of the Tournament in the Champions League, La Liga’s best player etc etc.
“The awards are just an opportunity for a junket. A full gala dinner for the great and the good to get together, some glad handing, some networking, and an opportunity for FIFA to get ahead in a day and age where the Premier League, La Liga and UEFA generally tend to rule the football roost.
“It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have something that acknowledges the best and I get why it exists, but let’s be perfectly honest the Ballon d’Or is more for the eight to 21 year old demographic. People beyond that just don’t really care about it.
“They know what they see when they go and see their club. They know what they see when they stick on the television, in terms of the people this year that are in the running for it. I mean, Harry Kane out scoring everybody in Germany should be in there.
“I think that Vinicius Junior being given the award this year – if the rumours are confirmed – is so subjective. It’s still likely to be affected by friends in the game and tactical voting, whereas it should be a strict merit-based system, based on criteria that is known.
“Or it just needs to be retired full stop.”
The issue of criteria certainly has merit as if a definable set of metrics, based on a point-scoring system were introduced, it would make the notion of the ‘best’ player much easier to define.
Rather than just giving the Ballon d’Or to the poster boy for a particular year because it suits certain entities.
A poster boy in Vini Jr’s case who seems to continuously antagonise all and sundry and which saw a former Real Madrid player suggest everyone was upset with his behaviour (MARCA).
Hardly the best example for a winner of such a prestigious gong.