On October 17, the 2022 Ballon d'Or ceremony organized by France Football magazine took place in Paris, where Benzema won the 2022 Ballon d'Or, followed by Mane, who moved from Liverpool to Bayern this summer. Manchester City's midfielder Kevin Kevin finished third, the top midfielder of the year, and Modric is ninth.
As the brain of a team, the core players of the midfield, the initiator and organizer of the team's attack, and the founder of the team system. Midfielders tend to have a harder time winning the Ballon d'Or than the more impactful strikers in terms of stats and visuals, and midfielders nominated for the Ballon d'Or are bound to have had a dominant performance in previous seasons.
The last midfielder to win the Ballon d'Or was Modric who broke Mero's monopoly in 2018. But his award was controversial and considered unconvincing. But there have also been two midfielders who have been lamented by fans for missing out on the Ballon d'Or. One is Wesley Sneijder, the man who dominated world football in 2010 but missed the top three of the Ballon d'Or, perhaps this is the fate of the Tulips - uncrowned and withered.
Five Serie A crowns create a dynasty
Sneijder did everything a No.10 should do: Champions League assist king, World Cup goalscorer, forged Serie A's five-crown dynasty. As the absolute core of the team, Sneijder eliminated four other league champions in the Champions League, including the previous year's six-time crown winner at the time of the universe's No. 1 team Dream III Barcelona. I thought that Guamú's dream trident with Barça would become the focus, but unexpectedly, Sneijder directed a 3:1 victory in Meaza. Sneijder also made the Champions League team the assist king with three goals and six assists.
Tulips bloom World Cup defeat Spain in stoppage time
In 2010 as a World Cup year, the performance of the national team also affected the selection of the Golden Ball, and Sneijder also led the Tulips to the World Cup runner-up with an absolute core, scoring 5 goals as a midfielder to win the top scorer king, and was selected for the best team, he found Robben on the final stage with a precise straight kick to form a single knife ball, but the latter did not score the ball, otherwise the title of uncrowned king may change hands.
Sneijder, who led the team to dominate the international and club arenas, did not enter the top three of the Golden Globe, which is undoubtedly Sneijder's regret and the Ballon d'Or.
In addition to being a heartthrob and a Silver Globe Award winner
Aside from the controversial Sneijder who failed to score in 2010, the 1999 Ballon d'Or was arguably the most hotly debated year among fans, with David Beckham, the absolute core of the treble dynasty Manchester United, never missing a major game (Keane and Scholes missed that year's Champions League final due to suspension). In the Champions League group stage, 2 passes and 1 shot with Pei's arc and the supergod Rivaldo fought to a 3-3 draw, and Barcelona, led by Rivaldo, remained unbeaten in the death group, and Bayern joined hands in the death group, and won the knockout round against Inter Milan and Juventus, which were known as the Serie A powerhouses at the time.
In the final moments of the Champions League final, the familiar Pei's arc shone on Camp Nou, and two assists helped Manchester United reverse Bayern Munich to win the title and forge a treble dynasty.
The classic Golden Globe splitting theory
Rivaldo, who won the Ballon d'Or that year, only won all seven games in the Copa America and Ronaldo scored five goals each to tie the Golden Boot, although he won the league title, but also missed the Copa del Rey that year.
However, the final vote of the Ballon d'Or was a surprise, and Rivaldo won the Ballon d'Or by overwhelmingly beating Beckham to win the Ballon d'Or, and the explanation after the selection was the vote theory that everyone often hears: Manchester United's Class of 92 and the Black Wind both played very well to share the votes, and Rivaldo was the brightest star in Barca and Brazil.
Perhaps the midfielders are more like team players, their role is more reflected in team honor, lacking the heroic atmosphere of individualism. This year's Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City, Modric of Real Madrid in 2018, Sneijder of Inter Milan in 2010, David Beckham of Manchester United in 1999, they were all the attacking core and brains of the team at that time, and they all represented the style of the team, whether they were won the Ballon d'Or or not, they also represented the best midfielders of that era.