San Siro
22-10-2004, 11:47
Ladies and gents,
We are fast approaching the final sprint for the prestigious Ballon d'Or award. This year's favorites are Thierry Henry, Deco, Ronaldinho, Sheva and Adriano is also making a strong push for it. Which one of these five players do you think have the best chance?
My personal take is that Thierry Henry had a marvelous year with Arsenal in the EPL however, as painful as it is for me to say it, his Euro was very dissapointing and that may do him more harm than good in this Ballon d'Or title race. Plus, his constant approximative performances in the Champions League coupled with his dissapointing performances with France now that he he is the leader of the team, are not what one would expect from someone like him.
Deco had a marvelous run with this year's surprise package in the Champions League, FC Porto as he played a key role in leading them to their 2nd European title after 1987's one.
Ronaldinho has been a freak all year long with Barcelona and he is doing things that are simply insane with a ball. He is incredible. A pure joy to watch. He may not have won much this year with Barça, however, his constant superb performances make him a prime candidate for this year's most prestigious individual award in world football.
Andriy Shevchenko has been on fire throughout the year and all the way back to the beginning of the 2003-2004 season. He lead Milan to their 17h Scudetto while finishing Capocanoniere (top scorer in the toughest league in the world, the Serie A). He has also been banging goals for fun in the Champions League. ALso worth mentionning is that he is also getting the much needed help from Ukraine as they have had so far a promising start to their world cup qualifying campaign and Lo Tzar has also done his job nicely.
Adriano, is like a hurricane. His physical strength is that of a beast but he is not just a bulldozer. He also is blessed with an average technical skils (the term average is relative, average for a Brasilian that is, his technical abilities could be labelled as good for anyone else, but remember, we're dealing with a Brasilian. :) ) plus he has a phenomenal left foot shot. :dazed: He is simply scary. He has been simply out of this world since last season and he will be a player who will mark th world of football with his impact. :star:
All in all, I'd say that all 5 would deserve it for one reason or another. However, the Ballon d'Or is to crown a player who has been outstanding all year long, has been consistant, has won titles and most importantly, has been or is able to perform under intense pressure and when it most matters. Of the 5, the one who fills the most the above criterias is Lo Tzar, Andriy Shevchenko. At the age of 28, he has reached his prime and he is simply an unstoppable goal machine.
Consistant like a swiss watch, his greatest asset I believe is his mental strength and the fact that he has always scored in the big games he has played and against all the top guns. And that's what I believe separates him from the rest of not only the other 4 in this list, but also, the other players in the world. The only other player who has the same mental strength and ability to raise his game under pressure and deliver during the top games is Zidane and to some extent Ronaldo.
My verdict:
Ballon d'Or 2004
1) :star: Andriy Shevchenko :star:
2) Ronaldinho
3) Henry
4) Deco
5) Adriano
FORZA :star: VENTO DI PASSIONI!!!!:star: :proud::devil:
Cheers.;)
We are fast approaching the final sprint for the prestigious Ballon d'Or award. This year's favorites are Thierry Henry, Deco, Ronaldinho, Sheva and Adriano is also making a strong push for it. Which one of these five players do you think have the best chance?
My personal take is that Thierry Henry had a marvelous year with Arsenal in the EPL however, as painful as it is for me to say it, his Euro was very dissapointing and that may do him more harm than good in this Ballon d'Or title race. Plus, his constant approximative performances in the Champions League coupled with his dissapointing performances with France now that he he is the leader of the team, are not what one would expect from someone like him.
Deco had a marvelous run with this year's surprise package in the Champions League, FC Porto as he played a key role in leading them to their 2nd European title after 1987's one.
Ronaldinho has been a freak all year long with Barcelona and he is doing things that are simply insane with a ball. He is incredible. A pure joy to watch. He may not have won much this year with Barça, however, his constant superb performances make him a prime candidate for this year's most prestigious individual award in world football.
Andriy Shevchenko has been on fire throughout the year and all the way back to the beginning of the 2003-2004 season. He lead Milan to their 17h Scudetto while finishing Capocanoniere (top scorer in the toughest league in the world, the Serie A). He has also been banging goals for fun in the Champions League. ALso worth mentionning is that he is also getting the much needed help from Ukraine as they have had so far a promising start to their world cup qualifying campaign and Lo Tzar has also done his job nicely.
Adriano, is like a hurricane. His physical strength is that of a beast but he is not just a bulldozer. He also is blessed with an average technical skils (the term average is relative, average for a Brasilian that is, his technical abilities could be labelled as good for anyone else, but remember, we're dealing with a Brasilian. :) ) plus he has a phenomenal left foot shot. :dazed: He is simply scary. He has been simply out of this world since last season and he will be a player who will mark th world of football with his impact. :star:
All in all, I'd say that all 5 would deserve it for one reason or another. However, the Ballon d'Or is to crown a player who has been outstanding all year long, has been consistant, has won titles and most importantly, has been or is able to perform under intense pressure and when it most matters. Of the 5, the one who fills the most the above criterias is Lo Tzar, Andriy Shevchenko. At the age of 28, he has reached his prime and he is simply an unstoppable goal machine.
Consistant like a swiss watch, his greatest asset I believe is his mental strength and the fact that he has always scored in the big games he has played and against all the top guns. And that's what I believe separates him from the rest of not only the other 4 in this list, but also, the other players in the world. The only other player who has the same mental strength and ability to raise his game under pressure and deliver during the top games is Zidane and to some extent Ronaldo.
My verdict:
Ballon d'Or 2004
1) :star: Andriy Shevchenko :star:
2) Ronaldinho
3) Henry
4) Deco
5) Adriano
FORZA :star: VENTO DI PASSIONI!!!!:star: :proud::devil:
Cheers.;)