Is The World Player Award Losing Its Credibility ?

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - DECEMBER 17: Kaka (L) of AC Milan and Brazil and Lionel Messi of Barcelona and Argentina attend a press conference at the FIFA World Player of The Year Gala 2007 at the Zurich Opera House on December 17, 2007 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Controversial as it may sound, I just could not help but share my thoughts. Some might agree and some might not, but its all up to your own judgements. As we all know, from this year onwards, the FIFA World Player of The Year and the highly prestigious Ballon dOr will be combined and rechristened the new FIFA Ballon dOr award. I for one am relieved this have come about as we have had funny situations when it came to naming the best player in the world and Europe.

For instance, year 2004 saw Ronaldinho being installed as World Player of The Year but when it came to the European Footballer Award, he was in 3rd place behind Andriy Shevchenko and Thierry Henry. Now how the best in the world is only third best in Europe is quite baffling to be honest. Another reason why I feel this award is losing credibility is just about the way it is being handed out. Why cant it be right at the end of the season? Why it has to wait until the end of the year? The main question would be how it is being judged? We are all aware that by the time the award is given out, around a quarter of a new season is already underway. By the look of it, the ongoing season seem to have an effect on the way the nominees are listed. The perfect example would be the case of Diego Milito who was simply outstanding last season but seems to suffer a mediocre start to the new season. Has this in any way affected his glaring omission from the list of nominees for this years award? Even Miroslav Klose ! (with 3 league goals only all season) is ahead of him.

No disrespect intended but this just shows how flawed the system is when it comes to nominating and awarding the best players throughout the season. I am of the belief that the winner should deserve it to begin with, and then should be judged for his performances of that particular season, not the season before or after. Rooney had a terrible World Cup, but so did Klose in terms of the entire season bar the world cup. So does that mean he had a better season than Rooney? Thierry Henry was head and shoulders above everyone else in 2003 but the award eventually went to Zinedine Zidane who had a good but not spectacular season compared to Henrys. Past winners have also come exclusively from Juventus, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Barcelona until Cristiano Ronaldo won it whilst a Manchester United player. There is also a feeling that the award is based on the performances of a single tournament (Ronaldo in 2002 and Cannavaro in 2006). Both the players above had brilliant World Cups but they were not really electrifying throughout the season. So this makes me question whether the awarding of the title of the worlds best is done in a fair manner.

Anyhow, this is just my honest opinion. What do you guys out there think? Please share your thoughts below.

Related posts:

  • ESPN Fan Rant Challenge Who is the World Cups Best Player So Far?
  • PFA Players Player of The Year Award Who Will Win It?
  • Peles Thoughts On World Football



    • Watch Free Live Soccer Football Matches Online Here

    Comments

    Post a Comment

    Popular posts from this blog

    Mr. Hodgson Or: How We Learned To Stop Worrying And Blame The Manager

    Image
    The manager has risen from club secretary to official face of the club since the creation of football teams worldwide. He has moved from the man that kept the record books to man that is larger than the football team he manages. Commentators and pundits refer to Fergusons United or Wengers beautiful, passing football. He even has books written about him. The Manager by Barney Ronay, an excellent book that discusses the rise of the manager into the modern game, unearths some of the origins of the managers image and attempts todiscuss what kind of person the manager really is. While the book wasnt ever intended to be an academic study of the merits of various tactical thoughts of managers, it does address some of the often listed character traits ofsuccessfulmanagers. When all these traits are put together, to many the manager appears to be a father figure, a scary headmaster, a politician youd like to have a beer with, or somecombination. Yet despite all this popularity, he is little mo...
    Keep reading

    England World Cup camps need to lose doomsday siege mentality

    Image
    One day last week, near the junction of Maude Street and Rivonia Road, in the Johannesburg suburb of Sandton, a line of smiling young men in shirts and shorts strolled along the pavement towards their hotel. Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Robin Van Persie, Dirk Kuyt, Mark Van Bommel and the rest of the Dutch squad waited at the lights until there was a break in the traffic and then ambled across the road. These were some of the best known players in the world, superstars of the game, walking along city streets on their way back from training and looking as though they did not have a care. There was no security with them. None to speak of, anyway. There were no photographers running in front of them and taking their picture. There were no girlfriends tottering along beside them. None of them wore headphones. They did not insulate themselves. They seemed at one with their surroundings. It was only a snapshot of the way the Dutch are living their lives at this World Cup but ...
    Keep reading

    How an American Influence Is Rubbing Off On Manchester City

    Image
    Manchester Citys match day experience is becoming more and more American with each new season. While Maine Road was what you could expect a typical British experience of what it was like to see an English football match in the 80s, the City of Manchester Stadium experience seems as American as apple pie. In previous seasons, City have tried to focus on improving the match-day experience. Theyve added buskers, i.e. public performers, around the ground to add to the atmosphere. And recently theyve adopted American entertainment methods such as turning down the house lights before kick-off and trying to get everyone excited for the big match. Theyve also been a pioneer in English football in their usage of American social media sites such as Facebook, Foursquare, Flickr and others to create a bond with supporters. And now for their first home match in the league for the 2010-11 season, against Liverpool tonight, theyre set to unveil two new features. Both of them have a uniquely American...
    Keep reading