The biggest Ballon d'Or controversies 😡

The biggest Ballon d'Or controversies 😡 The Ballon d'Or has had its fair share of controversies. This Monday evening, the Ballon d'Or ceremony will take place live from London. One thing is certain: with no clear favourite, the result will get people talking around the world. To mark the occasion, we're taking a look back at the biggest controversies in the history of this prestigious award. Haaland snubbed despite an outstanding season In 2023, Erling Haaland was coming off an extraordinary season with Manchester City. He scored 52 goals in 53 matches and played a major role in the club's historic treble, which included a Champions League triumph, while also setting the record for goals in a single Premier League season (35). Despite those impressive numbers, Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or, largely thanks to his World Cup triumph with Argentina. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner even finished more than 100 votes ahead of his Norwegian rival. Sneijder only fourth in 2010 Wesley Sneijder had an exceptional 2010. With Inter Milan, he won the Champions League and several other trophies before reaching the World Cup final with the Netherlands. Yet he finished only fourth in the voting, behind Messi, Iniesta and Xavi. That fourth-place finish remains one of the biggest anomalies in the award's history, especially given his pivotal role in Inter's success and the Netherlands' World Cup run. Thierry Henry snubbed in 2003 Thierry Henry finished second in the 2003 Ballon d'Or behind Pavel Nedvěd. Yet the Frenchman was coming off a historic season with Arsenal, becoming the first player in Premier League history to record more than 20 goals and 20 assists in a single campaign. Many therefore felt that Henry could, or even should, have won the award. Still, Nedvěd deserves credit for winning Serie A and reaching the Champions League final that year, despite posting less impressive numbers than the Frenchman. Real Madrid's fury in 2024 Rodri's victory in 2024 sparked huge controversy. Vinícius Jr. was widely seen as the favourite following his performances for Real Madrid, particularly in the Champions League. But Rodri received the award after an exceptional season with Manchester City and, above all, after winning the Euros with Spain and being named the tournament's best player. After learning just hours before the award presentation that Vinícius Jr. had lost, the entire Real Madrid delegation decided to boycott the ceremony. That boycott continued the following year, although the Madrid contingent is expected to return for Monday evening's ceremony. The deadline change that favoured Ronaldo The 2013 edition was particularly controversial. Cristiano Ronaldo had an exceptional year individually, but won no major team trophies with Real Madrid. Meanwhile, Franck Ribéry was among the favourites thanks to Bayern Munich's historic treble as they swept aside the competition across Europe. However, the voting period was unexpectedly extended, allowing the 2014 World Cup play-offs to be taken into account. Ronaldo then delivered a spectacular performance against Sweden, scoring four goals across the two matches, while the Frenchman struggled against Ukraine and saw Karim Benzema and Mamadou Sakho emerge as France's heroes. The Portuguese star eventually won the trophy ahead of Messi and Ribéry, fuelling debate over the impact of the deadline change. Lewandowski: the biggest robbery in history? The biggest controversy is probably still that of 2020. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, France Football decided not to award the Ballon d'Or that year. The biggest loser was Robert Lewandowski, who had an exceptional individual season and won the treble with Bayern Munich Six years later, many observers still consider the decision not to award the prize one of the greatest injustices in modern football, given how certain the Polish striker seemed to win it. The following year, while accepting his seventh Ballon d'Or, Lionel Messi even publicly acknowledged that Robert Lewandowski should have won the previous year. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.