FIFA defend decision to award Golden Ball to Lionel Messi
Argentina striker and captain Lionel Messi won the Golden Ball at the 2014 World Cup, much to the surprise of fans worldwide.
The Barcelona forward was sensational in the group stages, but wasn’t as effective in the knockout rounds, and many felt there were other candidates who deserved the trophy.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter was also among those questioning the decision to award the trophy to the Albiceleste talisman and said that he was “surprised to see Messi coming up to collect the trophy”. Diego Maradona also described the decision as a “marketing” gimmick.
FIFA defend their decision
But Gerard Houllier has come out and defended the highly controversial decision saying, “He fully deserves the Golden Ball.”
The former PSG and Liverpool manager is a member of FIFA’s Technical Study Group and explained that the decision was made after careful analysis by the group. The voting process was changed for the 2014 World Cup.
He added: "I understand that it has surprised, because everyone only remembers the second half of Lionel Messi in the final.”
“We, the commission, we look at all the games, and we judge that he was the most important man for his team. He went to the final, which is one of the conditions for the attribution of the trophy," he explained.
“Moreover, Messi was more than decisive in the first four games. In the semi-final against the Netherlands, he took the first penalty and scored. The analysis also takes into account the fact he was the captain of a united team. A team that played well together. That's something we hadn't seen for a long time from Argentina. He was more than key in the squad and the way it was set up.”
“For me, he fully deserves the Golden Ball given he took his team through to the final.”
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