@Der_Augustus Szoboszlai wasn’t at his best in his first season at Liverpool. But look at him now—one of the best. Same will happen to Wirtz, with even bigger impact.
@BayernArenaFX That’s how the market valued them. There’s not much you can do about it. Maybe you could’ve gotten a few million more, but that’s about it. And when you need to sell and everyone knows it, they’ll use that against you.
Harry Kane sitting on 73 goals and 8 assists, 81 G/A in 63 matches this season.
The Ballon d'Or voting is based off three categories that voters should consider.
1. Overall performances, decisive and impressive charachter:
Harry Kane has had the second best scoring season by anyone outside of Messi in 2011/2012. Harry Kane has played in 13 knockout matches this season and has scored in every single one registering 22 G/A in those 13 matches.
2. Team Performance and Achievements:
Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga and the DFB Pokal this season. They set the record for the most goals scored in a Domestic League since Torino in 1945 with 122 goals. That is more than Barcelona or Real Madrid have ever scored in a season, despite playing four more matches. Harry Kane's performances this year helped Bayern Munich overtake Real Madrid in UEFA's 5-Year Coefficient meaning they have been the most consistent club in Europe.
3. Class and Fair Play:
Has played as Captain of both Bayern Munich and England. In those 63 matches, Harry Kane has recieved only 3 yellow cards despite consistently dropping deep and supporting each squad both offensively and defensively recording 30 tackles, 14 interceptions, 13 blocked shots, and 81 ariel duels won.
Let's look at the others, minus Michael Olise, who have been pushed for the Ballon d'Or:
Mbappe - Went trophyless at Real Madrid and has one of the lowest defensive contributions in the Top 5 Leagues. Incredible goalscorer but no trophies for the second consecutive year at Real Madrid is an indictment of selfishness. Deserves to be in Top 5
Dembele - Only played 22 matches in Ligue 1 due to injury and only started 11 of those matches. In those 22 matches, he played a full 90 minutes only once. He played more than 75 minutes only four times. He's still a tremendous player with over 41 G/A across all competitions and deserves to be in Top 5
Yamal - Another great year for him! What a player! But his decisiveness has been lacking all season. Knocked out in the Quarter-Finals against Atletico Madrid and has been underwhelming in the World Cup. Still, a fantastic player and deserves to be in the Top 5.
The Ballon d'Or recognizes the best player over the entire season. A World Cup is a 4-6 week event. Handing it to whoever shines brightest there would turn it into "Player of the Tournament" instead of the prestigious individual award it's meant to be and that award already exists.
Kane and Olise dominated club football for months on end in the Bundesliga, Champions League and are playing incredibly well in the World Cup. A summer tournament shouldn't erase 9-10 months of elite consistency in favor of a small sample size of 9 matches max. One hot streak, favorable bracket, or injury to key opponents can create a false narrative. We've seen players explode in a WC but regress or get injured afterward. The award should reward sustained excellence, not a short burst.
@Der_Augustus My only concern is that when Klopp had more influence at Liverpool, not every decision worked out as hoped. I’m a bit worried he might trust his own instincts a little too much. Hopefully, I’ll be proven wrong.
@dheller91 They’ll be fantasizing about him all summer. I can already imagine them thinking Mbappé will convince him, he’ll ask for a transfer, and eventually end up at Madrid. It’s annoying, but this is going to be a talking point for quite a while.