The countdown to the highly prestigious and anticipated 2012 Ballon D’or at Kongresshaus, Zurich, Switzerland, has commenced. 7th January, 2013 is the day the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), awards the ‘best player of the year’ with the FIFA Ballon d’Or.
Today, we continue the countdown with reactions from prominent coaches and figures in world football on the chances of nominess for the prestigious award which has Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona/Spain) and Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona) in contention.
On Cristiano Ronaldo:
“Portugal have a national team called Cristiano Ronaldo and a group of players who run after him.”
Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Queiroz
“He’s an unbelievable player. We have a pantheon of great players and Ronaldo definitely compares with any of them. Although he had a natural talent, he is in many ways manufactured himself – he practised and practised. He had a bit of the Eric Cantona about him in that way. He was definitely good value for Madrid.”
Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson
On Lionel Messi:
“Some people do not like Ronaldo because he is a great player, good-looking and has s*x with all the ladies. People get jealous. The only bad thing about Ronaldo’s life is Messi. If it was not for him, Ronaldo would have been the best player in the world for five years in a row now.”
Luiz Felipe Scolari
Luiz Felipe Scolari
“Like Michael Jordan in basketball, Messi is dominating his sport. Very few people in history have managed to dominate their sport the way Jordan and Messi have. I feel sorry for those who want to compete for Messi’s throne – it’s impossible, this kid is unique. He doesn’t just score lots of goals, but he scores lots of great goals, each one being better that the last.”
Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola
On Andres Iniesta:
“Definitely Andres Iniesta. It’s not that difficult to play well and win titles in a team like Barcelona, but it’s in the national side where you see a player’s true class. That was the case with figures like Pele, Diego Maradona and Zinedine Zidane. WithSpain, Iniesta has shown that he is among the best players of all time and that’s why I rate him higher than Messi or Ronaldo. Even though the latter two have incredible scoring records for their clubs, they still haven’t won anything with Argentina or Portugal respectively.”
Boris Becker on who should win the FIFA Ballon d’Or
Boris Becker on who should win the FIFA Ballon d’Or
“He is the enlightened one, [someone] touched by a magic wand. He commands so much respect on the pitch. As a football lover, I am proud to have played with him. He makes the difference and does things that no one else can do.”
Sergio Ramos
Sergio Ramos
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