"We don't really believe in superstars" - Thomas Muller explains why many German players don't win the Ballon d'Or
Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller has responded to concerns regarding German players' inability to win the coveted Ballon d'Or. The honor presented by the magazine France Football is considered the most prestigious individual award in football.
While there have been various controversies in the past surrounding the award, German international Muller has his own theory on why his compatriots have not been amongst the winners. For the unversed, the last Die Mannschaft player to win the Ballon d'Or was Matthias Sammer back in 1996.
Since then, Oliver Kahn has finished twice on the podium in third position in 2001 and 2002 respectively, with Manuel Neuer making the podium recently in 2014, securing a third-place finish.
The Bayern forward believes that since the German players have been taught the importance of playing a collective game since childhood, they don't win the Ballon d'Or often.
The 32-year old said (via Afrique Sports):
"In Germany we don't believe too much in superstars. We are taught from an early age to play as a team, not to shine alone. That's why you won't see many German players win a Ballon d'Or, but on the other hand you can see 4 stars on our jersey."
These are certainly interesting comments, since Die Mannschaft boast the joint-highest number of Ballon d'Ors (7) and are tied with Portugal, Argentina and the Netherlands, who all have a total tally of seven awards.
Thomas Muller has scored his 44th goal for Germany.
The Bayern Munich forward moves up into sixth-place in the all-time top goalscorers list. 🙌 https://t.co/XfoOVbFYQj
However, given that only the goalkeepers (Kahn and Neuer) have managed to represent Germany on the podium since 1996 could support Muller's point of view to an extent.
Benzema believes he has done all he could to secure the Ballon d'Or
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is the favorite to win France Football magazine's coveted honor this year after having stacked up unbelievable numbers in the 2021-22 season.
Les Blues have certainly been disappointing in the Nations League this month, having failed to win a single game from their four fixtures.
The Frenchman could only score one goal in his three matches. However, his tally of 44 goals from 46 appearances along with 15 assists for Los Blancos, which helped them win the La Liga and Champions League, makes him the favorite for the 2022 Ballon d'Or.
Karim Benzema was directly involved in 66 goals in 56 games for club & country in 2021/22 and won four trophies.
Ballon d'Or loading... ⏳ https://t.co/GkmzzCnMIH
After beating Liverpool in the UCL final, Benzema spoke to Canal Plus and expressed his satisfaction with his form and efforts throughout the season. He said, via France24:
"Of course. Now I will join up with the national team but I don't think I can do much more with my club. We will see what happens, but in any case I am proud of what I have done."