Messi-led Argentina national team to play in Kerala next year
World Cup-winning Argentinian football team led by iconic Lionel Messi will play in Kochi next year, Kerala State Sports Minister V Abdurahiman announced on Wednesday.
Former Real Madrid and Spain shot stopper Iker Casillas feels it would be wrong if Cristiano Ronaldo wins the 2019 Ballon d’Or.
Casillas, who now keeps for Portugal Club Porto, believes that former teammate Ronaldo should not be in contention to win this year’s award.
The Spaniard on Friday took to social media to share his opinion.
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The World Cup winner tweeted: “Van Dijk was chosen as UEFA’s best player; Messi was chosen by FIFA; if Cristiano wins the Ballon d’Or, it would seem to me that the guidelines we use in football to determine who wins its biggest individual awards are not logical.”
Van Dijk fue el mejor jugador para UEFA. Messi fue el mejor para FIFA. Imagina: Cristiano (méritos hace para ello) gana el BALÓN DE ORO, me parecería que las pautas que seguimos en el fútbol para dar premios no tiene mucha lógica, no? Reflexión de viernes. #FelizFinDeSemana
— Iker Casillas (@IkerCasillas) November 15, 2019
Ronaldo, who is a five-time Golden Ball winner, lost the award to Luka Modric last year. The 34-year-old Portuguese has to beat eternal rivals like Lionel Messi and the in-form Virgil van Dijk this year to add a sixth to his collection.
FIFA’s award is picked by the captains and coaches of all national teams in FIFA-affiliated federations in five continents. Meanwhile, the fans also have a say through an online ballot which accounts for 50 per cent of the final result, says a report from Marca.
These two awards are chosen based on performances throughout an entire season, whereas the Ballon d’Or spans a calendar year, with every match, including friendlies, taken into account, which is then chosen by 193 sports journalists.
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