Balon d’or selection has seen Messi Snubbed for the 2017/2018 men’s award as the likes of Christiano Ronaldo, Mohammed Salah and Luca Modric find themselves in the list of last three men standing.
MESSI SNUBBED – BALON D’OR SELECTION
The 2017/2018 men’s award for the best male footballer in the year has been a little bit difficult and highly competitive for Lionel Messi who has seen himself outside the last three standing for the first time since twelve years.
The announcers were football Legends Sol Campbell, Kelly Smith, Nwankwo Kanu and Peter Schmeichel who noted that the award rewards and recognizes players for their achievements in football.
The nominees were considered over a period of one year from July 2017 to July 2018 including also their individual performances at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
The selection of Ronaldo and Modric, both of Real Madrid, have been linked to their roles in the Spanish side’s fourth Champions League title in five seasons while Modric’s special recognition was in leading Croatia to its first World Cup final (best ever for his country).
Modric as well won the Most Valuable Player award at the Russia 2018 world cup and also the best player at last week’s Champions League awards which he beat Ronaldo and Salah to win.
Mohamed Salah, on the other hand, scored 32 goals to win Harry Kane to the Premier League Golden Boot last season. A feat he achieved in his first season at the English Premier league with Liverpool.
He as well was instrumental in getting Egypt to its first World Cup appearance since 1990 though injury did not allow him to perform well at the world cup.
Messi was the highest goal scorer in last season with 45 goals, highest assists with 18, most key passes with 82 and a domestic double with Barcelona and recently, became the first player to reach 150 assists in La Liga in the 21st century.
He only made it to the top 10 list this year alongside fellow snubbed nominees, Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Kylian Mbappe, Raphael Varane, Antoine Greizmann and Harry Kane.
Reacting to this situation, some football fans have taken to twitter to express their views.
According to J.J. Omojuwa who tweeted on his handle in quote, “if any other player had done what Messi did in the period, that player would have been nominated. Goals, Assists and Trophies. But he is Messi, he gets judged by a much higher standard. Flawed process!!!”.
According to ClinicalEden, last season, Messi had the most goals out of all nominees with 45, the most assists with 18, the most key passes with 80, the most key passes with 82, all while leading Barcelona to a domestic double. Messi not being a nominee for FIFA’s The Best Men’s Player Award is ridiculous.
Messi snubbed, what do you think of FIFIA???
