Should we have three different winners would be a better question in fact.
Football is a team sport. As such, teams are rewarded for their joint exploits in relevant competitions – both domestic and international.
The season behind us pushed two teams under the spotlight. Real Madrid emerged victorious in the 2017/18 edition of the Champions League whereas it was the French national team that picked up arguably the most valued prizes of them all – the FIFA World Cup trophy.
As we slowly head into the new campaign and toward the end of the year, the time has come for individual awards to be handed to players who have left the biggest mark in the season behind us.
The three most important individual recognitions are:
UEFA Best Player in Europe Award
The Best FIFA Men’s Player
Ballon d’Or
The third one – Ballon d’Or – stands as arguably the most coveted one. First introduced in 1956, the Ballon d’Or merged with FIFA World Player of the Year in 2010. The partnership ended in 2016 and we once again have two separate awards. The breakup of the partnership did little damage to Ballon d’Or reputation, however.
This annual reward honours the male players deemed to have performed best over the previous years. Such a definition can be applied to all three individual competitions but differences exist and can help us in determining the parameters which often leave football fans perplexed in the past.
The notable difference between the oldest prize of the three – Ballon d’Or – and the remaining two is that it takes the whole calendar year into account and not just the last season.
That said, the UEFA Best Player in Europe – although self-explanatory – rewards the best player of a European club from the previous season. It takes into account performances both at the club and national team level. This year’s winner of this prize was Luka Modric.
The Croatia international, arguably the most underappreciated player in the world, was given a well-deserved recognition for last season’s impressive exploits. Two goals and eight assists in club competitions last season do not do justice to a player who is a heart and soul of Real Madrid. Modric continued his fine form at the FIFA World Cup where he was named the Player of the Tournament after helping Croatia to the historic final. Having picked up the UEFA Player of the Year award, Luka Modric will be hoping to break the Ronaldo-Messi Ballon d’Or duopoly.
But first, we’ll have The Best FIFA Men’s Player award to attend to.
