Topic: Ballon d'or 2019

[Skeeve]

Attackers always seem to be more prized than defenders. It's a bit like how the front man in the band always gets the plaudits over the bassist or drummer. Both may be 10/10, but the more flash guy gets the award.

I'm sure VVD will be disappointed, but I'm just happy we have the best defender on the planet playing for us. I'm sure VVD is also content with the fact that he has the European Cup sat in our trophy room while Messi hasn't.

Goals and assists are easier numbers to understand, even after Messi and Ronaldo stop winning the award, it is almost certainly going to continue to exclude defenders.

One argument you could make for why VVD didn't get it, the sheer volume of nominated players we had, clearly showing we weren't a one man team even with how good he was for as last season.

[Clayton Bigsby]

Nothing laughable about it, Messi is head and shoulders the best attacker in the world.

Sorry I meant modric winning was laughable last year. Messi can never be the wrong answer when it comes to ballon d'Or but VVD should have got this.

45 goals in 54 games in 17-18 plus the double:5th
51 goals in 50 games in 18-19 plus league win:1st

They really put too much weight on the world cup last year it seems.

[lobsterboy]

Meh. why is anyone is really arsed?
Its the choice of a bunch of journalists who usually vote for whoever scores the most goals in spain.
VVD won the CL with us, beating Messi 4-3, that's all that matters last year.

As for Messi, still prefer Maradona meself.

[Tsar Kastik]

Country by country votes,   https://twitter.com/SportsObama/status/1201765849293639680?s=20

[RayPhilAlan]

Van Dijk 4 Messi 3

That's the one we'll all remember

We will!

While it's true, it's also a bit misleading, isn't it? Liverpool beat Barcelona, because Van Dijk and his 10 team-mates were better than Messi and his 10 team-mates, not because Van Dijk was better than Messi.

Messi scored a couple of goals, and also set up chances in both legs that other players should have scored. However his team-mates weren't good enough. Messi also made a couple of runs during the Anfield leg that would have made most players' season (or career) highlight reels, but they're just bog standard for him. Robbo expressed it well when he ruffled Messi's hair in an expression of admiration for the way Messi was playing.

Cos that's what he did, right? Right?

[Buck Pete]

He'll win it next year

English Premier League Champion
Euro 2020 champion
World Club Champion 2019

[Funky_Gibbons]

Goals and assists are easier numbers to understand, even after Messi and Ronaldo stop winning the award, it is almost certainly going to continue to exclude defenders.

Scoring goals is the most difficult thing to do in football, that's why someone who scores and assists loads of goals in a season will cost more, be paid more and is more likely to win the individual prizes.

[Crosby Nick]

I wonder if that’s ever happened before?

Probably in the Pep days of Barca with Messi, Eto’o and all their midfield stars.

[Ray K]

France Football:

Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or France Football 2019 against Virgil van Dijk by only 7 points!
Winner of a sixth Ballon d'Or France Football in his career, Lionel Messi had also never had such a small lead in the final standings. Virgil van Dijk fails in fact to seven small points!

No, Virgil van Dijk will not succeed to Fabio Cannavaro, the last defender to have raised a Ball of Gold France Football , it was in 2006. But that the Dutch happened very, very close to raise the precious trophy. Second in BO 2019, he was named for the first time in his career, Liverpool defender has collected 679 points. A great performance, but not big enough to shade Lionel Messi who got 686 points, seven more units, only. One of the tightest Ballon d'Or France Football polls in history!

[Clayton Bigsby]

France Football:

FML. Lost out on hundreds of pounds by 7 points! 

[bird_lfc]

It wouldn't bother me if Modric hadn't won it last year.

That’s how I see it as well to be honest

[kloppismydad]

France Football:

Would it be wrong to infer that having so many great and worthy players on our team caused Virgil to lose out on this?

Seeing how many of our players finished in the top 10, that could be the case.

[Elzar]

Country by country votes,   https://twitter.com/SportsObama/status/1201765849293639680?s=20

Love looking at these votes, as there is always some nations that go weird.

Cook Islands not having Van Dijk in the top 5, and Guatemala having almost all Liverpool players!

[Iska]

Any future kids learning about footy from the Ballon d’Or winners are going to think this was a dark, dark era for football.  Up to 2007: zillions of legendary names and stories.  After 2008: two players, and one typo.

[conman]

Love looking at these votes, as there is always some nations that go weird.

Cook Islands not having Van Dijk in the top 5, and Guatemala having almost all Liverpool players!

and some of the journalists in these nations likely haven't seen much football. I mean, I seen De Bruyne was in the top 3 for one of them and he only played half a season. and it's a bit like the Eurovision in how the votes differ regionally.

[Ray K]

In fairness though, we have to say what a brilliant place Bhutan is. I bet the journalist is a RAWK member.



And Cameroon too

[MNAA]

Unfortunate that the success of having so many players having a fantastic season and being shortlisted inadvertently caused Van Dijk to be pipped by Messi

The voting system needs to change. First round for all. Second round for the Top 5. Van Dijk would have won hands down

[Dim Glas]

Sorry for VVD an' all, but otherwise I couldn't give a shite. Individual awards are nice, but pretty meaningless in  the grand scheme of things. They don't go in a team photo.

Ronaldo's sister getting so wound up and triggered by Virgil was pretty amausing though 

[GinKop]

In fairness though, we have to say what a brilliant place Bhutan is. I bet the journalist is a RAWK member.



And Cameroon too

These are fantastic.

[B0151?]

It's almost 200 journalists expressing their individual opinions on different seasons of football.

I guess maybe it makes sense that the World Cup was so highly valued last year in the rankings considering its the one competition everyone around the world definitely watches.

If there was any justice I still think Van Dijk gets it. Maybe if we beat someone more high profile in the final than Spurs it would have tipped him over. But tremendous achievement to come so close anyway.

Ultimately it's meaningless but of course it would have meant the world to Virgil, that's why I wanted him to get it

[Skeeve]

Sorry for VVD an' all, but otherwise I couldn't give a shite. Individual awards are nice, but pretty meaningless in  the grand scheme of things. They don't go in a team photo.

Ronaldo's sister getting so wound up and triggered by Virgil was pretty amausing though 

I was looking at this like an international break where the players couldn't get injured i.e. our players would have appreciated the win.

What happened with Ronaldo's sister?

[Dim Glas]

I was looking at this like an international break where the players couldn't get injured i.e. our players would have appreciated the win.

What happened with Ronaldo's sister?

Apparently Virgil made some comment that was clearly a joke about Ronaldo, and she's just gone bonkers, writing a massive essay on instagram. Totally lost the plot.  Although the way it reads almost looks like it's written by Ronaldo, cos 'she' says 'I' a couple times 

I saw a screenshot on Twitter rather than the original post:
https://twitter.com/SamueILFC/status/1201648947690975233?s=20

[aw1991]

I was looking at this like an international break where the players couldn't get injured i.e. our players would have appreciated the win.

What happened with Ronaldo's sister?

He made her cry.

Oh Ronaldo's sister? I thought you meant Piers Moron:
https://mobile.twitter.com/VirgilvDijk/status/1201629182180102144

[deFacto please, you bastards]

It was close, Virgil only lost by 10 votes

[acks]

If Franco Baresi thinks Virgil should have won it, who are we to argue against it!  https://twitter.com/FBaresi/status/1201625077143478272

[Kekule]

Well at least Ronaldo hasn't let finishing behind a defender, and Messi surpassing his 5 awards, get to him.   

So that's Guardiola, Stirling, and now Ronaldo that have all had comical public meltdowns about Liverpool or Liverpool players in the last three weeks.  Hilarious stuff.

[newterp]

Just as a note - what the hell was Mahrez doing in the top 10 of voting? Both Sterling and Aguero had better seasons.

Was it the AFCON?

[Clayton Bigsby]

Just as a note - what the hell was Mahrez doing in the top 10 of voting? Both Sterling and Aguero had better seasons.

Was it the AFCON?

Has to be

[PoetryInMotion]

So, in recent years - Owen, Gerrard, Torres and Van Dijk on the podium eh? Not bad company at all.

[PoetryInMotion]

I think 2nd and 3rd place finishes also have a lot of pedigree - nothing to be disappointed about for even those who take this seriously.

Just gutted for Mane missing out on the podium, but so did Suarez miss out by finishing 4th in his best ever season for Barca. Some great players have never been on the podium and we have had 4 players in the last 2 decades.

[Iska]

Just as a note - what the hell was Mahrez doing in the top 10 of voting? Both Sterling and Aguero had better seasons.

Lloris in the top thirty is the wildest shout of all, the year he’s had.

[newterp]

Lloris in the top thirty is the wildest shout of all, the year he’s had.

maybe they thought it was a drinking contest? I mean some of the voters certainly had to be drunk

[GBF]

I love to have what they smoke in SL

[newterp]

I love to have what they smoke in SL

They picked 5 names from a hat and just placed them alphabetically

[davealexred]

Find someone who looks at you the way M’bappe looks at Virgil

[Agent99]

Why was Gregg Wallace there?

[Crosby Nick]

In fairness though, we have to say what a brilliant place Bhutan is. I bet the journalist is a RAWK member.



And Cameroon too

I think I’ve had the Cameroon journalist’s name as a username at some point.

[Black Bull Nova]

We will!

While it's true, it's also a bit misleading, isn't it? Liverpool beat Barcelona, because Van Dijk and his 10 team-mates were better than Messi and his 10 team-mates, not because Van Dijk was better than Messi.

Messi scored a couple of goals, and also set up chances in both legs that other players should have scored. However his team-mates weren't good enough. Messi also made a couple of runs during the Anfield leg that would have made most players' season (or career) highlight reels, but they're just bog standard for him. Robbo expressed it well when he ruffled Messi's hair in an expression of admiration for the way Messi was playing.

Cos that's what he did, right? Right?

Maybe, but there is no doubt Van Dijk leads our defence and Messi leads their attack. In the only direct comparison Van Dijk came out on top and let's not forget the 0 when it mattered. Had Messi scored we'd have been out, when it mattered we not only got the four but shut the door as well, marshalled by Virgil.

Any way what I suppose I was saying was that Messi would swap his Ballon for what Virgil won last year and I doubt Virgil would swap, that's what matters.

[Bobinhood]

I love to have what they smoke in SL

Told you he was gonna win it one day!!! and so it begins......