Former Brazilian midfielder Kaka has named the player who missed out on the Ballon d’Or during Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s dominance. Ronaldo and Messi completely dominated modern football for nearly two decades, winning 13 Ballon d’Ors between them.
Kaka received the prestigious individual award in 2007, before the duopoly of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi began. Ronaldo won his first Ballon d’Or in 2008, while Messi claimed the coveted award in 2009.
During Ronaldo and Messi’s era, players like Robert Lewandowski, Frank Ribery, Erling Haaland, and Virgil van Dijk all missed out on the Ballon d’Or. However, Kaka believes his compatriot Neymar was the best player to have missed out on the individual award during the reign of the two GOATs. He told SPORTbible:
Kaka insisted that Neymar might have won the Ballon d’Or in 2020 if Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) had defeated Bayern Munich in the Champions League final. He added:
Neymar was widely regarded as the heir to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi‘s throne from a very young age. While he had a successful career with clubs like Santos, Barcelona, and PSG, he never quite managed to challenge the two greats of modern football in terms of overall output.
The Brazilian scored 106 goals and provided 76 assists in 186 appearances for Barcelona, winning eight trophies. He made 173 appearances for PSG after leaving Barca, scoring 118 goals and contributing 79 assists, while winning 13 trophies.
Former Real Madrid midfielder Kaka chose Lionel Messi as the GOAT (Greatest of all time) over his eternal rival, Cristiano Ronaldo. Although Kaka played alongside Ronaldo as a teammate at Real Madrid, he praised Lionel Messi as a genius. The ex-AC Milan midfielder said, as quoted by BeINSports:
Kaka also spoke highly of Cristiano Ronaldo, calling him a ‘machine’ and praising his mentality. He stated:
He listed the two players among the five greatest footballers of all time. He concluded:
Kaka shared the pitch with Cristiano Ronaldo on 99 occasions at Real Madrid, contributing to 21 joint goal participations. In contrast, he faced Lionel Messi 12 times for club and country, winning four times, drawing four times, and losing four times.
Snehanjan developed an interest in football at a very young age, thanks to his father watching football on TV. His favorite player is club legend Steven Gerrard and his favorite manager is another legend in Jurgen Klopp. The ‘Miracle of Istanbul’ i.e., Liverpool beating AC Milan in the 2005 UEFA Champions League final left an indelible mark on him. He believes that Liverpool is a family unlike other top clubs, which sets them apart.
Snehanjan also follows Indian Super League and the I-League, although the latter is closer to his heart. If he could change a rule in football, it would be VAR not pointing out mistakes of on-field officials unless they are clear and obvious errors. Outside the football world, Snehanjan likes to explore the various genres of music and watch movies and shows on OTT. He’s also a car enthusiast and likes to follow the automobile world.
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