Former midfielder of Kyiv’s Dynamo and the Ukraine national team Vasyl Kardash commented on this year’s awarding of the 'Ballon d'Or'.
Vasyl Kardash— Rodri deserves the title of the owner of the 'Ballon d'Or'. This player significantly impacts the team’s game; without him, the collective struggles, and he leads the game for Manchester City and the Spanish national team. And we shouldn’t forget that Rodri plays as a defensive midfielder, a position that is harder to gain recognition in than, say, a forward or attacking midfielder. For the past two to three years, Rodri has been the strongest defensive midfielder in the world, and finally, his role has been noticed rather than that of those whose task is to score goals.
The problem is that no one knows the criteria for determining the winner. If we talk about impact on the team, Rodri’s role is greater than Vinicius Junior’s. However, when evaluating individual actions, Vinicius is stronger. When it comes to accomplishments, it is also ambiguous: Vinicius won the Champions League, where Rodri was eliminated in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Rodri won the European Championship, which is held once every four years.
And we should not dismiss the political component. It is entirely possible that FIFA sought revenge against Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who wanted to dismantle the Champions League and create a Super League. Another factor in the boycott was the emotional component: in the last week, the entire world was discussing Vinicius as the future owner of the 'Ballon d'Or', and just a day before the ceremony, everything turned upside down. This infuriated the leaders of Real Madrid, — noted Kardash.
