Real Madrid News
Real Madrid legend backs PSG star for Ballon d’Or ahead of Mbappe: ‘Number 1 without hesitation’
In a FIFA World Cup year, the Ballon d’Or is often decided by the result of the global event and performances at the same time.
The situation this time around, however, is queer.
Spain, who won the World Cup, had no clear bona fide overperformer and won because of their collective efforts. The teams that had clear standout individuals, meanwhile, all fell short.
Lionel Messi, Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and even Vinicius Jr. had spectacular World Cup campaigns but all fell short. Further, all their club seasons were far from impressive, making the Ballon d’Or complicated.
In the Spanish contingent, meanwhile, Rodri stood out but barely played for the club through injury, and Lamine Yamal who shone for Barcelona was not as effective in the World Cup.
At this point, the race is thus more open than ever before.
Kroos names his favourite for the Ballon d’Or
Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos spoke to the media recently as reported by Florian Malburg, and one of the topics touched upon in the process was that of the Ballon d’Or.
Making his stance clear, the German international backed Paris Saint-Germain’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as his clear favourite for the award and even reasoned out the same.
“The Ballon d’Or should go to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia,” he began.
“He’s probably not going to win but he’s the number 1 without hesitation,” he added, acknowledging that the likelihood of it really happening was very slim.
Kroos then backed up his claim with reasons and explained why he felt the Georgian star was the most deserving candidate despite missing out on the FIFA World Cup.
“The best World Cup players: Messi, Jude, Mbappé, Rodri had average club seasons.”
“Kvara was the best player from the best club in the world,” he added, showering praise on Kvaratskhelia and PSG.
Mbappe has a chance
At this point, the only Real Madrid player who has a real chance at the Ballon d’Or is Mbappe, and certain outlets even proclaim him as a favourite.
Given the season the Frenchman had, it would indeed be thoroughly deserved for he was the Pichichi winner and Real Madrid’s top scorer by some distance last season.
What is against Mbappe, however, is the fact that he did not win a single trophy – neither with Real Madrid nor with France. In all likelihood, the lack of team success will play against his chances.
Real Madrid News
Jose Mourinho was always clear about getting rid of Real Madrid midfielder this summer – report
Real Madrid’s summer transfer window was largely successful, not only in terms of securing key arrivals but also in terms of letting go of players who had no place in the dynamics.
One player who stood out in the second category was Dani Ceballos as the Spanish midfielder was frozen out of Real Madrid’s starting dynamics for several years before his eventual departure.
In the end, the club simply let the player leave as a free agent by accepting a contract termination as they saw the salary space freed as a win compared to his presence.
Mourinho’s clear stance
As confirmed in a recent report by Diario AS, Real Madrid’s new manager Jose Mourinho has no doubt that he did not count on Ceballos for the ongoing season.
Being the straightforward communicator that he is, the Portuguese manager directly informed Ceballos that he did not count on him in any capacity, speaking out loud about a fact that was known as an open secret for a long time.
Having clarity that his situation at the club was not going to change, Ceballos pressed to leave and eventually had his way as the club allowed him to walk out of the front door with no transfer fee.
Times were tense
The Spanish outlet also add that the decision to let the player leave with a contract termination was not easy for Real Madrid to accept, especially given that it is a last resort.
In the negotiations between Ceballos and the Real Madrid hierarchy, there were some moments filled with tension and disagreements.
In fact, there was even an initial exit agreement that was reached which was cancelled in the hope of a better outcome.
Eventually, however, both parties reached a fitting resolution and Real Madrid enabled the player’s departure without any hurdles and Ceballos went on to join Real Betis.
Even that move required the player to take a massive cut on his salary, but the saga worked out well for both clubs as the player. From Real Madrid’s perspective, the space created on the team’s roster was worth its weight in gold.
