5 players who do not deserve to be on the 30 man Ballon d'Or shortlist

Modified Oct 25, 2016 08:47 GMT

Koke (Atletico Madrid/ Spain)

The talented Spanish midfielder had a stellar campaign with Atletico Madrid last year, but he failed to stand up when it mattered the most, putting in slightly sub-par performances in crucial games like the Champions League final.

Spain manager Vicente Del Bosque did not have the faith to play him in the Euros and chose Fabregas and Silva ahead of the 24-year-old midfielder. While there is no doubting the talent of Koke, the midfielder will need to stand up and be counted more in the big games to be really considered among the very best in the world.

The Rojiblancos star has long been considered to be a long-term heir to Xavi in Spain and if he keeps up his performances and consistency he might well achieve that although his nomination this year might just be one year too early.

About the author

A Bengaluru lad through and through, Ashwin Hanagudu is a huge fan of Liverpool and unsurprisingly pledges his sworn allegiance to RCB in the IPL. With over 8+ years of experience in this field, Ashwin manages multiple verticals at Sportskeeda and as of July 2024 is the most-read author in the football section.

Apart from his duties at Sportskeeda, Ashwin Hanagudu is also an active table tennis player and has played multiple state ranking and national tournaments representing Karnataka.

A huge sports fan, some of the athletes and sportspersons he admires in no particular order are Virat Kohli, Steven Gerrard, Mohamed Salah, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Neeraj Chopra and PV Sindhu

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Edited by Staff Editor