#3 Real-Barca bias
For the last 9 years, no other club has had a Ballon d’Or winner apart from Real Madrid and Barcelona. The La Liga duo has dominated the proceedings to such an extent that it feels like the first qualification a player needs to have to claim the Ballon d’Or is to be a Real Madrid or Barcelona player.
This year, with Luka Modric being tipped to clinch the award, the trend will continue. It is also quite absurd that Ronaldo isn’t being marketed as a potential winner like he used to be when he was still donning the white.
It is no coincidence that Real Madrid and Barcelona players have been awarded the Ballon d’Or 11 times each in the history of the game, which is the highest among any clubs.
The second in place are Juventus and Milan with 8 Ballon d’Or winners each.