The Ballon d’Or has been sparking quite a lot of controversy as of late, and now a leak about the winner has appeared on the internet, which has once again brought attention to this award. Even if everyone was expecting the main dish in the form of the World Cup’s top moments ahead, especially since said competition will begin pretty soon, these types of news are a good appetizer and fans are going nuts. Let’s check what the hype is about!
A downward spiral:
One odd decision after the other has brought increasing concern and questions upon France Football as well as about the future of this most desired of recognitions. It first started back in 2020 when everyone was expecting Robert Lewandowski to receive the award, however, due to COVID the event had to be canceled and he never got it. From that moment everything seemed to have gone into a downward spiral, as the following year everyone thought that Lewandowski would finally receive the recognition that he should have gotten the canceled edition. However, it went instead to Lionel Messi, thus becoming the first to win the award 7 times in total. The difference in points each one received was only 33, which made it all the more upsetting for some. The Argentinian forward himself recognized during his speech that the Polish striker should have been the one to win it that time instead, as he truly deserved it.
The fall continues:
Now, the 2022 iteration of the event was set and the list of nominees was published a couple of months back, with lots of big names on it, such as Karim Benzema, Sadio Mané, Kylian Mbappé, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Robert Lewandowski. However, curiously missing was the name of last year’s winner of the prize, Lionel Messi. It wouldn’t be too surprising if the Argentinian didn’t win this year, but to have his name straight up ripped from the list is simply weird. Many speculated that what he said during his speech wasn’t to the liking of France football’s leadership; that such a public display, questioning their decision angered them and that is why he was excluded from this year’s list of nominees.
It has been oddity after oddity, as at first the event was accused of having become nothing more than a popularity contest, that would rather give the prize to whomever name is cried the loudest, rather than give it to the player who truly deserves it the most; and then fans were puzzled by such a big name is missing from the list.
The Victor Leaked?
Many speculated that after so many screw-ups, the logical thing to do would be to rectify them by giving Lewandowski this year’s prize, a move that many considered a last-ditch effort to appease the crowds of enraged fans. Nevertheless, this could have also come out as a kind of consolation prize to the pro player, which would in the end go against the purpose of this award as well as the reason why it is sought after.
However, all of the speculations seem to have changed course, as now a leak as to who will win it this year has surfaced on the web, pointing to Karim Benzema as the winner of this year’s iteration of the event. The image displaying the results was posted on social media and in a matter of minutes became viral. It was first posted on Twitter on the @ftblofficial account, and it displayed the top 22 names, the winner will be, as well as the alleged second and third places, them being Sadio Mané almost reaching the first spot by a dent and Vinicious Jr right behind him
If the rumors are found to be true, it will surely place even more questions upon France Football’s leadership; the event has been suffering quite a lot from all the weird choices made in the last couple of years, which have proven to be big strikes to its popularity and overall renown, and it is yet to be seen when it will recover. Additionally, these types of uncertainties and lack of trust are highly detrimental to betting opportunities. So, for those who prefer betting high, it is best to wager on the upcoming World Cup.
