Franck Ribery would not give either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo the Ballon d'Or award
What’s the story?
While Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are considered the two best footballers on the planet by the majority of fans and pundits across the world, Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery believes that his club team-mate Robert Lewandowski deserves the Ballon d’Or ahead of these two superstars.
Speaking in an interview with Bild, Ribery said:
"Lewandowski is incredible. He definitely deserves the Ballon d'Or. I have played with great forwards here. Luca Toni was magnificent, later Gomez and Klose. But Robert is probably the most complete of all,"
Legendary forward Luca Toni, who was also present, chipped in with his own views:
"I don't know if he's the best in the world, but he's really good. He scores important goals, which is a great quality to have."
Also read: Bayern Munich on par with Real Madrid and Barcelona, claims Robert Lewandowski
In case you didn’t know...
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have dominated the Ballon d’Or ceremony ever since 2009, with the Portuguese star winning four and the Argentine Maestro winning 5. In 2013, Ribery whose Bayern Munich team had won the treble, narrowly missed out on claiming the prestigious individual prize, with Cristiano Ronaldo claiming the top spot.
The Frenchman was very disappointed on missing out on the top prize and even claimed that he deserved the Ballon d’Or that year ahead of Ronaldo and Messi.
The heart of the matter
Robert Lewandowski has been consistently performing at a very high level for Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich. Arguably the best finisher on the planet right now, the Polish number 9 has been in top form and is in the race to win the Bundesliga golden boot.
Known for his brilliant positioning and finishing skills, Lewandowski is definitely among the top players in the world and is one of Bayern Munich’s top stars.
What’s next?
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been performing at their usual high levels this season, but there have been some players who have started to step up and challenge the Ronaldo-Messi duopoly.
While the likes of Hazard, Neymar and Bale have been tipped to win the award in the future, top performers like Lewandowski and Suarez will also be hoping to claim the game’s top individual prize as well this season.
Also read: Antoine Griezmann responds to Ribery's claim of him not being "world class"
Author’s take
Ronaldo and Messi are undoubtedly the two greatest footballers of this generation, but it is high time other top players like Robben, Lewandowski, Suarez and Kante start getting credit for their top performances. However, Lewandowski winning the Ballon d’Or this year looks highly unlikely and it will take a monumental effort for someone to break the duopoly.