If Monday’s Ballon d’Or gala was a scene from a movie, the art director would get an Oscar. A red carpet entry to the breathtaking Théâtre du Châtelet. Dark tuxedos, beige upholstery, and golden light bouncing off walls. Everywhere you looked, there was football royalty, current and past. Some music in the background; Didier Drogba playing host. The aesthetics for football’s annual Hollywood-impersonation theme party were curated to perfection.
The ceremony is packaged as a celebration of the sport. One of football’s two big nights—along with FIFA’s The Best—that crowns the most impressive performances from the past year. Like with the Oscars, these awards are not limited to the lead protagonists either. There are categories for Club of The Year and Coach of The Year too. After every award, winners get to give speeches and answer quirky questions placed by the hosts of the evening.
There is, however, a key element missing: suspense. Within the game’s observers, the winners can be guessed with a fair degree of confidence. Every year, the Ballon d’Or honour list is predictable to the extent that no one really knows what the awards mean.
Who else could be given Club of The Year but Manchester City, after winning three major trophies in one season while battling the splitting headache from 115 financial charges against them? Inspirational stuff. As a side note, Union Berlin, with a shoestring budget, have made their way into the Champions League. Brighton, after losing their coach and two talismanic players within six months, recovered and made it to the Europa League.
Similarly, everyone has known about Lionel Messi winning his eighth Ballon d’Or from the moment Gonzalo Montiel placed his penalty past Hugo Lloris in the World Cup final. Even if the season wasn’t even halfway through, Messi’s contention was never going to be under threat. In fairness, one can’t begrudge Messi much after his performances at the World Cup. But maybe a question ought to be asked about what exactly the Ballon d’Or rewards. What are the key criteria? If it rewards sustained brilliance over the past 365 days, how has Messi won it on the back of one insane month? If it rewards the best footballer on the planet, then why has Messi not won it every year since he came into his own under Pep Guardiola?