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TheStig

Member
Balondor obsession ruined his career
Was a great player in his time

It's really fascinating how CR7 & his fans (Messi's fans also) obssesion with Ballon d'or changed the general opinion about that award. Before their time it was a meaningless award, during and after their "rivalry" it's more important than the big collective trophies for many players.
 

Maradona37

Well-known member
It's really fascinating how CR7 & his fans (Messi's fans also) obssesion with Ballon d'or changed the general opinion about that award. Before their time it was a meaningless award, during and after their "rivalry" it's more important than the big collective trophies for many players.
Yeah I hate it mate, this obsession with individual awards. I wouldn't go as far as 'meaningless' before, but it didn't mean much at all and now it honestly feels like Gen Z kid players would rather win this stupid award than the fucking World Cup.

It's ridiculous. I hate this award.
 

vegitot

Senior Member
It's really fascinating how CR7 & his fans (Messi's fans also) obssesion with Ballon d'or changed the general opinion about that award. Before their time it was a meaningless award, during and after their "rivalry" it's more important than the big collective trophies for many players.
Bdor was a meaningless award before???
 

TheStig

Member
Meaningless is maybe a strong word but compared to today's obsession it was something like that. There was no controversy, no big debate, just a gala where a player recived it and moved on. There was more talk about that week's game than the awards. It was impossible that a player would prefer to win a Ballon d'or instead of CL, WC or even home league. Now many players have Ballon d'or as their biggest wish, not individual trophies.

Part of it is due to a changed world where there is more focus on the individual but a big part was CR7 obsession because he wanted to be compared with Messi when he had a similar number of golden balls and his fans. Many Messi's fans joined the obsession but at least Leo himself didn't.
 

Maradona37

Well-known member
Meaningless is maybe a strong word but compared to today's obsession it was something like that. There was no controversy, no big debate, just a gala where a player recived it and moved on. There was more talk about that week's game than the awards. It was impossible that a player would prefer to win a Ballon d'or instead of CL, WC or even home league. Now many players have Ballon d'or as their biggest wish, not individual trophies.

Part of it is due to a changed world where there is more focus on the individual but a big part was CR7 obsession because he wanted to be compared with Messi when he had a similar number of golden balls and his fans. Many Messi's fans joined the obsession but at least Leo himself didn't.
That's correct in the first paragraph. The BD or WPOTY wree nice to win, but they weren't that important, and there was certainly no big political advocating for it

. And yeah, C Ronaldo and his ego changed it for the worse.
 

iniestaGOAT

Senior Member
Meaningless is maybe a strong word but compared to today's obsession it was something like that. There was no controversy, no big debate, just a gala where a player recived it and moved on. There was more talk about that week's game than the awards. It was impossible that a player would prefer to win a Ballon d'or instead of CL, WC or even home league. Now many players have Ballon d'or as their biggest wish, not individual trophies.

Part of it is due to a changed world where there is more focus on the individual but a big part was CR7 obsession because he wanted to be compared with Messi when he had a similar number of golden balls and his fans. Many Messi's fans joined the obsession but at least Leo himself didn't.

Only cause that was before the Internet and stan wars era.

We living in different times now
 

Maradona37

Well-known member
Only cause that was before the Internet and stan wars era.

We living in different times now
Yeah it is more to do with that, good point.

If Messi and Ronaldo were the same Messi and Ronaldo but playing in the 80s or 90s, they wouldn't have had such a huge popularity either. The internet and fanboy culture mixed with their talents produced a combination that has led to obsession with individual awards.

You could say the same about gaming and other stuff - I might be wrong but I don't remember the 'console wars' being as explosive in the 90s. Nintendo and Sega was intense but doesn't seem as bad as now with Xbox and PS. Like you say it was likely always there but the internet vastly enables like-minded stans to congregate.
 

vegitot

Senior Member
Meaningless is maybe a strong word but compared to today's obsession it was something like that. There was no controversy, no big debate, just a gala where a player recived it and moved on. There was more talk about that week's game than the awards. It was impossible that a player would prefer to win a Ballon d'or instead of CL, WC or even home league. Now many players have Ballon d'or as their biggest wish, not individual trophies.

Part of it is due to a changed world where there is more focus on the individual but a big part was CR7 obsession because he wanted to be compared with Messi when he had a similar number of golden balls and his fans. Many Messi's fans joined the obsession but at least Leo himself didn't.
Bdor was already a big thing, way before Messi-Ronaldo era. Why would footballer always present their prize in front of the whole stadium? You think Bdor before was just like Player of the match or something.

A lot players dream of being the best footballer, also meaning they can get their hand on Bdor since it is the biggest individual award in football.

There were many debates, discussions before too. Just because less of internet and no social media. I still remember how shocked i was when Cannavaro won in 2006 ahead of Ronaldinho.
 

vegitot

Senior Member
Yeah it is more to do with that, good point.

If Messi and Ronaldo were the same Messi and Ronaldo but playing in the 80s or 90s, they wouldn't have had such a huge popularity either. The internet and fanboy culture mixed with their talents produced a combination that has led to obsession with individual awards.

You could say the same about gaming and other stuff - I might be wrong but I don't remember the 'console wars' being as explosive in the 90s. Nintendo and Sega was intense but doesn't seem as bad as now with Xbox and PS. Like you say it was likely always there but the internet vastly enables like-minded stans to congregate.
Pele became a global icon in 60s. Cruyff in 70s. Maradona in 80s. R9/Zidane in 90s And you think Messi or Ronaldo wouldn't be a global icon in past decades?
 

Maradona37

Well-known member
Pele became a global icon in 60s. Cruyff in 70s. Maradona in 80s. R9/Zidane in 90s And you think Messi or Ronaldo wouldn't be a global icon in past decades?
Global icons of course (don't put words in my mouth please, saying 'not such a huge popularity' is not the same as saying they wouldn't be global icons). What I meant is there wouldn't be this Ballon d'or obsession or manufactured rivalry without the internet.

I worded that badly. What I really meant is that back then they wouldn't have had fanboys congregating like now without the internet, as I imply later on. The same as how (to use my gaming analogies) Nintendo and Sega were huge in the 90s (like Pele and Maradona in years gone by) but didn't have the internet to produce stanboys en masse.

Of course they'd be huge stars in the context of that world, as the players you name were.

I was basically agreeing with IniestaGOAT that the internet has amplified it.
 
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Maradona37

Well-known member
To put it another way - would Cristiano Ronaldo be arguably the most famous man in the world if he was playing in 1988, and probably more famous than the US president? Without the benefit of the internet? Messi and Ronaldo can reach tiny, remote corners of the world because of the internet. Maybe you could say the same about Pele and colour TV in 1970 though.

In saying that Maradona was huge in the 80s, Beckham became a huge star before the internet going mainstream, so who knows.
 

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