Wesley Sneijder makes his feelings on Messi winning Ballon d'Or crystal clear
Wesley Sneijder believes he should have pipped Lionel Messi to the 2010 Ballon d'Or, after the Argentine won the award for a record eighth time in November
Messi added yet another Ballon d'Or to his CV in Paris last month, pipping Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe to the award. The former Barcelona forward's win came after he led Argentina to a famous World Cup win in Qatar last December.
In the aftermath a number of questions over whether Messi was deserving of his eighth win were raised, amid his lack of contribution at club level compared to rival Haaland, who broke the Premier League's seasonal goalscoring record on the way to winning the treble with Pep Guardiola's side.
Amid the controversy over the 2023 prize, another former rival in Sneijder has raised his concerns about the awarding of the Ballon d'Or 13 years ago. Back in 2010 the Dutch midfielder led Inter Milan to a famous treble, winning the Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League under the guidance of Jose Mourinho.
Sneijder also impressed on the international stage too, helping the Netherlands reach the World Cup final in South Africa, before losing 1-0 to Spain. The midfielder appeared to be the perfect candidate for the Ballon d'Or, but like many before and after him, was pipped by Messi.
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In the wake of the Inter Miami star's eighth win, the Dutchman re-opened the argument surrounding his chances in 2010. Sneijder told AlHayah TV: "It was a bit unfair that I wasn’t crowned with the 2010 Ballon d’Or and Messi won it.
Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or last month (AP)"Although I’m not the type of person to cry over it, the Ballon d’Or is an individual award and what I prefer is winning collective trophies. If I had to choose between the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or, I would choose the Champions League I achieved. I am very happy with that title.”
A victory over Spain in the World Cup final may well have tipped the voting in his favour, but it was not to be for Sneijder and his Netherlands teammates, as an extra-time strike from Andreas Iniesta ensured it was the Spaniard's who secured their first ever World Cup title.
The loss in South Africa is another that the midfielder believes he should have been on the winning side of. "We deserved to win in 2010 against Spain," he added. But they were an incredible team and beat us. Reaching the final was a fantastic achievement and one I always dreamed of but I am still heartbroken about losing that match.”
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