MUHAMMAD USMAN AWAN
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Having duped us into playing the 2022 World Cup in the middle of the desert in the middle of the football season, FIFA believe nothing is beyond them now.
Maybe that's why one of their bright sparks suggested that Cristiano Ronaldo present Leo Messi with his world player of the year award this week.
France Football wanted Johan Cruyff to make the presentation but having hijacked the prize, FIFA run the show and they wanted glamour.
David Beckham was considered and finally overlooked, and then it was proposed that there would be no better way to celebrate the first 'FIFA Ballon d'Or than having the two most famous players on the planet together on the stage at the moment of the presentation.
Ronaldo arrived late on Monday in the delayed Madrid convey that also conveniently got Jose Mourinho out of what would have been an uncomfortable press conference with three Barcelona players and their coach.
When Ronaldo did finally make it to Zurich headquarters, fearing he would tell them where to put the 7.4kg of solid gold, FIFA had decided not to ask him and instead allowed Pep Guardiola to present his own player with the accolade.
Ronaldo does not want to give Messi the Golden Ball, he wants to take it from him.
Out-mesmerising the Golden Flea might be difficult but obliterating La Liga's goalscoring records is well within his reach.
If he continues scoring at his current rate he will finish this season with 47 goals. That will smash the existing record of 38 for one season in Spain jointly held by Real Madrid's Hugo Sanchez and Athletic Bilbao's Telmo Zarra.
After scoring in Thursday's Spanish Cup quarter-final first-leg win over Atletico Madrid, Ronaldo has scored 64 goals in 63 competitive games for Real Madrid – figures that make him look a bargain at £80million.
A second half of the season to match the first would probably see him take the Golden Boot for Europe’s top domestic scorer, where on 22 goals he currently has a four-goal advantage over Messi.
Most importantly it would also put him back on the shortlist for the Golden Ball. Receiving it, not opening the envelope and handing it over to someone else
Posted in: Sports News