Paul Pogba might be the costliest player in the world but according to France manager Didier Deschamps, he will never win the Ballon d’Or because of his playing position and lack of goals. The France international joined Manchester United from Juventus this summer for a world-record fee but the French coach believes that he cannot compete with the free-scoring forwards like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to the Ballon d’Or crown.
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Deschamps is of the opinion that the prestigious award is only for forwards and goal scorers and midfield or defensive players usually get the snub nowadays.
Speaking to French media outlet RMC, Didier Deschamps said, “He's a midfielder. The Ballon d'Or is for forwards or No 10s, apart from rare exceptions in certain competitions.
"They're players who score goals.
"Paul has scored some, he's going to score some, but he won't score three goals per match. That's not his game."
Not much joy for midfielders and defenders
After being associated with FIFA, for six years, France Football reintroduced their Ballon d'Or award and FIFA created the Best FIFA Football Awards, which will be handed out on January 9, 2017.
Kaka was the last midfielder to be declared the best in the world in 2007 before the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly began and the pair has shared all the awards since.
The last defender to win the coveted football prize was Fabio Cannavaro who won the award for his heroics in the 2006 FIFA World Cup where he guided Italy to the crown.
Didier Deschamps hinted that though the 23-year-old may never get the award in spite of being the costliest player on the planet, he has to cope with the expectations that come along with the price-tag.
“All expectations are focused on him and it will always be like that,” he added.
“He’s someone who is always catching the eye with a move. He can do things others can’t, but he has to also be in the reality of what is good for the team.
“We’re talking about a young player. He’s at a club where he is used in different positions.
“Even when he does things well, it’s never enough. So, you can understand why that pushes him to do things that are out of the ordinary but which are not necessarily useful.”
The Frenchman is yet to live up to the expectations after arriving at Old Trafford this summer. He has scored just two goals in his 13 Premier League appearances and hasn’t been able to anchor the United midfield as he was destined to as Jose Mourinho’s side linger at sixth in the table with 21 points.
The Ballon d’Or 2016 award winner will be announced on Monday, 12 December with Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann favourites to win the prize.
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