Ballon d’Or, the controversy of Courtois and Real Madrid third- Corriere.it

Victory, joy and controversy. In the aftermath of the 2022 Ballon d’Or ceremony, the celebrations and criticisms all come from the same side, that of Real Madrid. On the one hand, the consecration of Benzema. The 34-year-old French striker triumphed in front of De Bruyne and Man (four trophies, 46 goals and 15 assists), thanks also to the unexpected success in the Champions League where he played the role of driver in the team coached by Carlo Ancelotti. On the other hand, there was no lack of criticism and ironies via social media from some teammates, including some perplexities about the choices made. Over all been the decision to name Manchester City the best team is disputed of the 2021-22 season, Liverpool second and Blancos only third. But a joke? said, for example, the basketball player in force at Real Madrid Edy Tavares. Us after City and Liverpool despite the fourteenth triumph in Europe? Incredible.

An outburst to which many have responded on Twitter with a colloquial fault of the Super League bro ‘, Fifa and Uefa have certainly not forgotten. At this general astonishment they make for more noise the ironies of some protagonists of this Real team, such as the German midfielder Toni Kroos, in defense of the team, and the Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, also involved on a personal level.

The Courtois controversy

It is useless to be the best goalkeeper in the world if you do not become part of the podium for the possible winners of the most coveted prize. Courtois launched a severe attack on the International Federation, explaining how much the role of the goalkeeper is penalized on the occasion of this type of recognition (only Lev Yashin won the Ballon d’Or in 1963, while Buffon and Neuer did not manage to win it despite their victories at the 2006 and 2014 World Championships as protagonists). In the general classification I finished only seventh – so begins the goalkeeper on the Spanish broadcast El Larguero by Cadena Ser, an occasion in which he gave a particularly controversial interview -. I am happy for Benzema. But it seems to me it is worth more to score a goal than to prevent it, by now I know the logic of the jury. I’m not saying I wanted to win, but you can’t help but aspire to the podium even if you allow the team to win La Liga and the Champions League thanks to your saves. Moreover, in the top ten there is not even a defender.

Kroos against third place at Real

To Courtois’ TV lashes are added the posts and tweets of Toni Kroos, another protagonist of the Madrid triumph. The German midfielder joked about third place at Real, behind the two teams he recovered and beaten in the semifinal and final of the Champions League.

Happy for third place dear Real? wrote the player who did not even make it into the top ten, like teammates Vinicius Junior, Courtois and Modric. President Florentino Perez himself was very embittered after the ceremony, with the official profile of Real on Twitter who responded to the announcement of the team rankings with a tweet enclosed in the emoticon depicting two perplexed eyes.

3rd best team in 2021/22 – happy @real Madrid?

– Toni Kroos (@ToniKroos) October 17, 2022

Between ironies and criticisms, the Real Madrid players, Benzema excluded, feel undeservedly excluded from the most discussed prize, as well as a general classification that in their opinion penalizes them, because behind players, beaten on the field, such as Man, De Bruyne, Salah and Mbapp. The same annoyance has manifested it, always on social media, a great ex like Iker Casillas, for years legend of the Blancos in goal: Congratulations for this third place, what a joke of prize. If from the English side of the City, the club itself on Twitter defined the ceremony as an unforgettable evening, as if to respond to Madrid’s controversy, evidently Benzema’s mood is more similar to what his opponents felt than to the emotions expressed by his club and by teammates.