3 Reasons why Raphael Varane may win the Ballon d'Or
As the year comes to an end, the time for individual awards comes to a conclusion. Although the 'FIFA Best' and UEFA awards already took place, the world still waits for Ballon d'Or- an award presented by France Football. The agreement between FIFA and France football is no more and thus, the winner will be chosen by a poll like it was used to be before 2010.
Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have won the Ballon d'Or most times- 5 times each. But despite their best efforts, the winner of Ballon d'Or this year will be an extremely tough choice than it has been in the past decade.
The Ballon d'Or awards were shared by two individuals in the last 10 years- Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. But since the World Cup took place this year, it will have it's own pull and impact on the award. There is no doubt that it is one of the most coveted individual awards a player can dream of winning.
The Ballon d'Or rarely goes to a defender- there are only three defenders who have won it since it's inception in 1956. The list includes legends like Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer and Fabio Cannavaro.
No doubt, there will be strong competition for the award but the world cup winning defender, Raphael Varane, certainly makes a strong case for the award due to his majestic performances. Let us take a look at three reasons why he should win the Ballon d'Or.
#1 Consistency
The Ballon d'Or 30 men shortlist includes greats like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Luka Modric among many others but no one can deny the fact that Raphael Varane was top notch throughout the year.
Raphael Varane is a great defender but he really stepped it up on the biggest occasions for his club and country. His consistency in defense helped Real Madrid win their third consecutive UEFA Champions League this year and helped France win the World Cup. He stood like a wall at times, stopping any player who tried to break through.
While Real Madrid faced teams like Juventus, Liverpool, PSG and Bayern in the knockout stages of UEFA Champions League, they conceded less than 10 goals thanks to Raphael Varane.
On the other hand, France led by mercurial Varane conceded only six goals in the World Cup, keeping clean sheets in four matches. The award is usually reserved for a top quality attacker but will be a perfect recognition for a defender's valuable contribution to his team.
Luka Modric, voted the best player by both FIFA and UEFA, had a dip in form but Varane maintained his consistency on the pitch which gives him the edge over 29 other men in the shortlist.