Courtois 7th, City team of the year, Mbappé far from the mark… The incongruities of the 2022 winners

Ah, how sweet it is to wake up with the Ballon d’Or around your arm. France has been waiting for this for almost a quarter of a century. Karim Benzema has put football France in a good mood at least until the 2022 World Cup, leaving other nations free to complain about the results of the various votes. Because even if the jury of the Ballon d’Or has been reduced to 100 journalists to avoid ending up with improbable votes – like Harry Kane number 1 – the 2022 edition has not escaped its usual incongruities. Some are minor, others downright revolting. Non-exhaustive list.

Thibaut Courtois 7th

For France to put away its old grudges in the closet and all the valves on the seum that go with it, it is that Thibaut Courtois has been swollen in large widths. Be aware: the Belgian international has had a season of pork, of unparalleled solidity on his line as in the air, which currently makes him the best weapon of European defense in the event of an attack. Russian nuclear. What more could he do than a high-flying double-confrontation against PSG and Chelsea, the last lunar minutes against Manchester City and a nine-stop C1 final? A record that also earned him the title of man of the match at the Stade de France. What disgust you a man of football fashion week.

“I consider it impossible to win the Ballon d’Or,” sighed the Belgian on Monday evening. You win La Liga and you win the Champions League, your team wins thanks to your saves… and you only finish 7th. At least they invented the best goalkeeper trophy [qu’il a remporté]. »

Kylian Mbappé… right in front of him

With all due respect to Kyky and without forgetting that in the genre to have carried his team on his shoulders, he was pretty good last year, Mbappé has nothing to do in this place. In any case not in front of the Belgian, if only because PSG stopped in the knockout stages of the Champions League, and individual statistics cannot hide stubborn facts: for the jurors, a goal in L1 will always be worth less than a goal in the Premier League, La Liga, or C1.

We thought that the French had understood it, he who is the only one to appear continuously in the top 10 since 2017, but never higher than 4th. We can also consider that his last minute arm of honor to Florentino Pérez to extend to Paris could have cost him one or two places, in the end. Personality matters, Kyky.

Putellas Ballon d’or having played half a season

As José Mourinho said, “if I speak, I’m in big trouble”. But let’s talk about Alexia Putellas’ scandalous Golden Ball all the same. Great player as she is, the now double-winner had nothing to do at the top of the hierarchy this season, for several reasons. The first being that she hasn’t played enough.

Putellas missed the Women’s Euro through injury, a competition won by England from her runner-up, Beth Mead. Another curiosity, the first Lyonnaise in the standings, Ada Hegerberg, is only 7th, while OL won the C1. Wendie Renard is the only Frenchwoman in the top 10, where we would have seen Selma Bacha, the new hype of French football, very prominent in the Champions League and during the Euro (semi-finalist).

Manchester City best team

Before discussing the choice of the Skyblues as team of the year, note that it will have had the merit of provoking, across the Pyrenees, the anger of the bewildered Chiringuito. There is always a sadistic pleasure in seeing Josep Pedrerol and Tomas Roncero, to whom we will have to think about giving an Oscar, pour into excessive melodrama. The word “scandal” was repeated throughout the evening in Madrid, where the hyperphagia of titles makes us forget that this story of best team of the year is only a wooden title. Little flash of lucidity from the former merengue Guti who anyway says “not to believe in these titles”.

In short, Manchester City, the best collective in the world, the City which rolled like everyone else on Real for three halves before leaving no one knows how, would be the best team of the year. Why not. The Citizens have won the Premier League and placed six players in the Ballon d’Or ranking (major criterion). We understand the oddity of seeing Real Madrid 3rd, but such a title does no harm to these festivities which are criticized for too often praising the individual in a sport that is intended to be collective.

Gavi best youngster ahead of Camavinga

In this great bath of Benzemesque intoxication, we will thank Gavi for having offered France the complainers an opportunity to open it. Camavinga, winner of the C1 and La Liga, 2nd behind a man who has certainly become essential to Barça, but in which Barça? Reversed in the Europa League last year (and soon this year) more than sluggish in La Liga, in short, to wonder if we would not have preferred to see a Cama-style luxury joker see lift the Raymond Kopa trophy, even if the the Frenchman’s start to the season is a little sluggish. But hey, it’s probably bad faith talking.