The week we’re about to leave behind was marked with controversy. Indeed, the awarding of the 2024 Ballon d’Or to Rodri has caused quite a stir among insiders who had long tipped Vinicius Junior as the strong favourite. The Spanish player’s victory, in fact, has outraged not only the powerful Brazilian forward, but also Real Madrid who in response decided to boycott last Monday’s ceremony in Paris.
On this subject, a footballer who probably deserved that trophy stepped forward today. He nearly came close to winning the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 with the Netherlands, only conceding in the final to Spain after having won the Treble with Inter. We’re talking about Wesley Sneijder, the former Nerazzurri midfielder who was positioned in fourth place for the Ballon d’Or in 2010, behind Messi, Iniesta and Xavi.
Sneijder, on the occasion of the ESports World Cup in Riyadh, got back to commenting on that controversial result: “Yes, it was stolen from me. But I’m happy that people are still thinking about it in 2024, 14 years later I say to myself: “Wesley, you were robbed in 2010′. Imagine if I had won and people now said: “He stole it”. Individual awards are fine, but I think team titles and lifting trophies count more than a Ballon d’Oro”.
