Pirlo - Ballon d'Or

According to reports, Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro and Andrea Pirlo are the front-runners for the Ballon d’Or.

The European Player of the Year award is handed out every December by France Football magazine after votes are cast from journalists around the continent.

Ronaldinho is the current holder, although recent winners from Serie A have been Pavel Nedved of Juventus in 2003 and Milan’s Andriy Shevchenko in 2004.

Following Italy’s World Cup triumph in Germany this summer, several Azzurri are expected to have their candidacy put forward.

According to rumours emerging from the France Football offices, Buffon, Pirlo and Italy captain Cannavaro will all be in at least the top 10.

“It’s always good to receive recognition for the hard work you do and gives you a great feeling, but it must above all provide extra motivation to always improve,” said Milan midfielder Pirlo when told of this possibility.

Italian newspaper Tuttosport suggests that Pirlo is Italy’s best chance of victory, as the Ballon d’Or traditionally favours creative midfielders and forwards.

The only goalkeeper to have won this trophy was legendary Russian Lev Yashin in 1963, while Mathias Sammer was the last defender to be voted European Player of the Year in 1996.

Cannavaro’s difficulties in adapting to life with Real Madrid in La Liga and the fact Buffon is now playing in Serie B with Juventus could also favour Pirlo.

I just read this on Channel 4 (http://www.channel4.com/sport/footba...lia/oct7a.html)

As a matter of fact I was planning on opening a threat about Pirlo's chances for this award but, Channel 4 got it first.

Personaly, I think he deservs it. He was I think the most influential figure in Italy's success this summer. He was their motor, their engine. Everything went through him as it does in Milan. He is in great form presently as well as he has had some impressive assists this season and is indispensible in both Milan's and Italy's squad. He does everything....from the simplest to the most complicated things on the field. From passing a simple pass, giving his teammates time on the ball, making everyone look better...........to the most complicated through and long balls I have ever seen. he controlls the game whenever he is on the field. We are really LUCKY to have him in our team. I think he is the best center-midfield in the world today. And if he keeps this going for another couple of months he can very well lift the Ballon d'Or or the Fifa World Player of the Year award. I think he has outclassed almost every player in this past year. Although it might be tough as some of his opponents are doing good as well.
Ronaldinho helped Barca win La Liga and the CL and so did Etto. Although now injured and missed the WC, I don't really know of Etto's chances. Ronaldinho had a disastorous WC, and t lift one of these trophies in a "World Cup Year", you really have to show up in the WC. So I think Pirlo had the upper hand there too.
Cannavaro is not having the best of starts in Real while Buffon is in Serie B as the article mentioned.
The other opponent to Pirlo might be Lampard. However, just as 'Dinho and Etto' it is like he never showed up to the WC so his chances are cut short as well. I don't know if Henry is going to be in the picture this year.
I might be forgetting someone but as of right now, Pirlo seems to be the strongest one of them all as he was the "Man of the Match" in 3 of Italy's 7 games at the Cup, from which two were in the Semi final and final against Germany and France. To be a MOM in a semi-final and a final of a WC really gotta give him the upper hand. He is also the MOM a lot of times for Milan as well.
Let's wait and see what happens, but I think this is Pirlo's year!

Yeah, it should be Pirlo or Kaka

Thanks god finaly a recognition for the best Playmaker in the world,
But i dont think he wil get it since these awards are given in very suspicious way,IMO
And pirlo is not a show off player, he does his job and walks away from the fame.

And this award always goes to the player who is mentioned the most in the past year.

If Pirlo coninues to play like this he really has a chance to get it,

I dont know guys, but as good a player as Pirlo is, I'm not quite sure if he deserves this award. But then again, i dont know who would deserve it. I think over the last couple of years, there hasnt been a player dominant enough to clearly stand above the rest and deserve this award. I thought Sheva deserved it, Nedved deserved it, and certainly Ronaldinho---the first time round. Dont know if he deserved the next one back-to-back though. Likewise Ronaldo, his most recent balon d'or was ridiculous--after a season out injured with Inter, and based only on his decent WC performances.

If you ask me, I dont think Pirlo's performances have been good or even consistent enough. If I had a choice I would give the award to someone like Gattuso---hardworking, consistent, and definitely makes a HUGE impact on whichever team he plays for, i.e. Milan or Italy. But then again, they never like to give fancy awards to the guys who do the dirty work.

After the world cup, The winner of te Balon d or is always a player from thr champions. Ronaldo had great world cup,bad season but anyway he won the award in 2002,
judging from this Pirlo had amazing World Cup so there is a possibility that he wins it, but Canna and Buffon ar there too .... I think one of these three will win it as I dont see a player who did better than the others this year, Kaka aswell can make the top three.IMO

Just pls no Ronaldinho or etto,

He has done great work for the azzurri but not that great stuff with Milan. It might be canna who would get it.

Fifa will ame sure an Italian doesn't win it. Let alone someone from Milan after the scandel stuff. R10 or headbut will get it.

Completely agree with Tony, can't see an Italian winning this year. Pirlo had an excellent WC but has been up & down at Milan....besides I don't think he's "splashy" enough ( not that I agree that this should matter at all in voting, but I'm convinced it does ).

MILAN is the best team in Europe for 3 years now
ITALY are world champions
Pirlo and Kaka deserve to win this trophy
and one of them should win it
They both have played very well in their national teams and in Milan
There are 2 month left 'till december but in this moment they are favourites

Before the World Cup, most people in here were lambasting Pirlo for playing quite averagely, now all of a sudden he's played the best football ever for the past 12 months? That's a bit of a jump.

Just as people here have stated that those who had a bad world cup can't win it and should be discounted (Ronaldinho, Lampard, etc). Pirlo's club performances weren't that great so shouldn't he be discounted too?? I don't think there are many players who have both had great World Cups and played great club football over the past 12 months.

Originally Posted by Jim_UK

Before the World Cup, most people in here were lambasting Pirlo for playing quite averagely, now all of a sudden he's played the best football ever for the past 12 months? That's a bit of a jump.

Just as people here have stated that those who had a bad world cup can't win it and should be discounted (Ronaldinho, Lampard, etc). Pirlo's club performances weren't that great so shouldn't he be discounted too?? I don't think there are many players who have both had great World Cups and played great club football over the past 12 months.

There is an effacing as well as an exalting quality to the World Cup.

What Pirlo did during the World Cup was, in my view, simply breathtaking. His consistency was remarkable throughout all games and while he may have never taken the games entirely by the scruffs of their necks -- a la players that play further up the pitch (Zidane springs to mind) -- he perhaps had more influence on a team than any other player.

Couple that silent diligence with enduring visuals like the goal against Ghana, the free-kick delivery to Gilardino for the goal against the USA, the pass to Grosso against Germany, the corner assist for Materazzi in the Final and the ice cool penalty in that same game, then suddenly Pirlo's claim is even more compelling.

Also I would say that a World Cup trumps all (effacing quality) because of the way football history is recorded. While it may seem sort of generous to some to consider Pirlo for the award one must not forget that Italy won the World Cup and hence Pirlo performed on the greatest stage. Despite the self-promotion of the Champions League, success at the World Cup puts in you in the same bracket as Pele, Maradona, Beckenbauer and Rossi, a far greater accolade, IMO, than to be uttered in the same breath as Alfredo Di Stefano or Michel Platini, players who did wonders at club level but for some reason or another never tasted glory internationally.

So you're saying in a world cup year, the european footballer of the year award should only go to world cup winning players? So if you've performed out of your skin for an entire season at club level, done all that could be asked of you (lets not forget that good performances don't always equate to winning trophies) in 40/50 matches you should be overshadowed by someone who's played well in 6 games?!

I'm sorry, but i think that is quite unbalanced.

Just because it's a world cup year, it doesn't mean the world cup should suddenly take precedence over everything else. If you think that, then surely that undermines and devalues the award in non world cup years. Also what if you play for a country that is hardly ever likely to get to the world cup and yet you play amazingly well for an entire season? Does that mean you should just pack up and forget about winning this award because someone played well in a handful of matches when you didn't get that opportunity?

The world cup is a factor, yes, no doubt about it. But it's not and shouldn't be the over-riding factor.

Jim, you are right and I don't think that anyone would argue with you! These awards most of the time are not well suported. However, like it or not....right or wrong....in a WC year the winner is usually a player that has performed good in the Cup. I am not sayin it is right, I actually agree with you. But that is that reality of how these awards work.

Pirlo in my mind has a very good chance. He didn't perform up to his best in the second half of last season, but he wasn't that bad. He had some great performances and then some not so good ones. The WC makes up for that part of the season, because after all.......it was the main focus of the whole world in this past year. He has also been performing briliantly in the start of this new season so he certainly has a chance. The other two players that have been really constant are I think Eto'o and possible Lampard. Etto had no part in the WC which right or wrong again...will work against him and plus that now he is injured and basically has no influence in this new season. Lampard had a bad WC and ,AGAIN maybe wrong, but WILL work against him.

Last season kaka did well with us as well as he was arguably the best brazilian player at WC.

Lehmann was good for arsenal as well as Germany in spite of the ucl final red card.

Gerrard, has always been good with liverpool and did a decent job for england.

Fabregas had his best season at arsenal and did good work for spain whenever he came on the pitch.

I also saw Materazzi as a possible winner.

Originally Posted by Jim_UK

So you're saying in a world cup year, the european footballer of the year award should only go to world cup winning players? So if you've performed out of your skin for an entire season at club level, done all that could be asked of you (lets not forget that good performances don't always equate to winning trophies) in 40/50 matches you should be overshadowed by someone who's played well in 6 games?!

I'm sorry, but i think that is quite unbalanced.

Just because it's a world cup year, it doesn't mean the world cup should suddenly take precedence over everything else. If you think that, then surely that undermines and devalues the award in non world cup years. Also what if you play for a country that is hardly ever likely to get to the world cup and yet you play amazingly well for an entire season? Does that mean you should just pack up and forget about winning this award because someone played well in a handful of matches when you didn't get that opportunity?

The world cup is a factor, yes, no doubt about it. But it's not and shouldn't be the over-riding factor.

Notice in my post I never said that I want Pirlo to win it or I think he should win it. I was simply putting out the motivations for these awards and what I made of Pirlo's performances. I do, however, think that Pirlo's case is "compelling", to say the least.

In my personal opinion, Fabio Cannavaro should win this award, notwithstanding the match-fixing scandal. He was fairly good for Juve this past season and was immense at the World Cup.

"Just because it's a world cup year, it doesn't mean the world cup should suddenly take precedence over everything else."

I agree with you in principal but that is precisely what does happen. Remember 2002? Ronaldo did little at club level that season except weep at Inter's final day capitulation against Lazio...yet guess who won the award for that year and for what reasons? Well I am sure you remember that irksome, toothless grin and the wagging finger.