“Joke of the century”, “This is criminal” – Fans react as Andre Onana beats Manchester City and Arsenal stars in 2023 Ballon d'Or rankings
Fans are bemused that Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has finished higher than Arsenal and Manchester City stars in the 2023 Ballon d'Or rankings.
Onana has finished in 23rd place following an impressive 2022-23 campaign with Inter Milan. The Cameroonian shot-stopper was a mainstay in the Nerazzurri's side, keeping 19 clean sheets in 41 games across competitions.
The 27-year-old won the Coppa Italia with Inter and impressed as Simone Inzaghi's side lost the UEFA Champions League final 1-0 to City. There are two of the current Cityzens' side that have finished below Onana.
Josko Gvardiol has been acknowledged with a 25th-place finish for his superb past year at RB Leipzig and with Croatia at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He joined Pep Guardiola's treble winners in the summer from Leipzig for £77.5 million.
The 21-year-old made 41 appearances across competitions last season, helping the Bundesliga side keep 14 clean sheets. He also chipped in with three goals.
Meanwhile, City's Ruben Dias has finished in 30th place, which may surprise some given he was a standout performer for the treble winners. He made 43 appearances across competitions, helping his side keep 21 clean sheets.
Arsenal duo Martin Odegaard (joint-28th) and Bukayo Saka (24th) also finished below Onana. They were key for the Gunners in their closely-fought title race with City.
Odegaard conjured up 15 goals and eight assists in 45 games across competitions. Saka hit 12 goals and seven assists in 43 games and was named the PFA Young Player of the Year.
Fans weren't impressed that Andre Onana has beaten those four to a higher placing on the Ballon d'Or list. Their opinions likely stem from his current woes at Old Trafford as he's made a disappointing start to life with the Red Devils.
One fan slammed the outcome:
"Onana is better ranked than Saka, Dias, Odegaard and Musiala. This is criminal."
Another fan stated:
"Andre Onana Ranking 23rd in the BallonDor Ranking List ahead of Jamal Musiala, Bukayo Saka, Nicolo Barella, Martin Odegaard and Ruben Dias has to be the Joke of the Century."
Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Onana beating the likes of Saka and Dias:
Andre Onana is the only active Manchester United to make the Ballon d'Or list
Onana has been recognized for his 2022-23 campaign with Inter. The Cameroon international is the only United player to make the Ballon d'Or list.
The Red Devils showed vast improvement under Erik ten Hag last season, with Marcus Rashford and Casemiro particularly flourishing.
Rashford bagged 30 goals and 11 assists in 56 games across competitions. Casemiro arrived from Real Madrid in September 2022 and managed seven goals and six assists in 51 games across competitions.
Both scored in United's 2-0 Carabao Cup final triumph against Newcastle United in February. However, neither were nominees for the Ballon d'Or.