The golden ball award is the best thing that can happen to a player on an individual level. Almost every great player has one. Of course, a lot players are just unlucky to live in the era of Messi VS Ronaldo.
Xavi and Iniesta are the perfect examples. Both extraordinary players, and directly involved with Barcelona’s success. But they still can’t compete with Messi.
The only player that can compete with Messi when it comes to individual awards is Ronaldo. The last 7 years were totally dominated by these two. If Ronaldo wins the golden ball award, Messi is the runner up.
And if Messi wins, Ronaldo is the runner up. Eve though there are a lot of great players from other clubs, these two are simply above everyone else.
Scoring goals is vital if you want to win the golden ball award. Assist can contribute as well, but the number of goals usually make the difference.
And who’s better in scoring goals than Messi and Ronaldo?
But that’s not all. Even if a player is number one scorer in Europe, he still needs success on a club level to win the prestige award.
The Champions League is of course vital for winning the golden ball. But competitions like the World Cup can improve your odds as well.
Neymar on Ronaldo as the favorite for the golden ball
“Ronaldo is a great player. I have no qualms in saying that.”
“Winning titles plays a big role in the race for the Ballon d’Or,” Neymar told Lance. “Ronaldo won the Champions League and now Euro 2016 as well. So I reckon he is in a good position.”
If you look at the titles from 2016, Ronaldo is clearly ahead of Messi. He won the Champions League with Real Madrid, and the Euro 2016 with Portugal.
He lacked the role of a leader in both finals, but he did contribute in the road to the finals. He got injured in the final against France, and he was below average against Atletico in CL.
However, he won two important titles this year, and that’s exactly why he’s ahead of Messi for the next golden ball award.
Neymar would like to play with Ronaldo at Barcelona
“I’m a fan of Cristiano; he’s a legend, one of a kind. It would be very good if he played for Barcelona,” Neymar told Goal.com
Even before he arrived at Barcelona, Neymar was a huge fan of Ronaldo. But that doesn’t mean he favors Ronaldo over Messi. He’s just praising players who he admires personally.
He also talked about the MSN trio:
“I think the team is not only this trident, we can be considered one of the best in history,” he said.”I love playing with my teammates and I feel very proud to be part of this team.”
There’s definitely a positive chemistry between the MSN trio, and the results speak for themselves as well.
