"These are political awards" - Zlatan Ibrahimovic feels he missed out on Ballon d'Or because he doesn't fit 'Mr Perfect' mould

Swedish international Zlatan Ibrahimovic has said that he did not win the prestigious Ballon d'Or award because he speaks his mind and does not fit the 'Mr Perfect' mould. Ibrahimovic believes he has been ignored despite being a consistent performer by France Football for the Ballon d'Or award. He thinks such awards are political in nature and him being an over-expressive person does not fit into the 'Mr Nice guy' frame.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have dominated the international football scene for the last decade, outshining others and sharing 12 Ballon d'Or awards between them. Luka Modric remains the only player to have won the prestigious award in 2018 breaking the duopoly of Ronaldo and Messi.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has had a wonderful professional career since he first began his journey in 1999. The 40-year-old Swedish international has played in almost all top-tier European Leagues and has also spent a season in MLS playing for LA Galaxy. He made his AC Milan comeback in 2020 and has been vital for the Serie A giants.

Speaking to Goal.com about why he thinks he has missed out upon the Ballon d'Or award somewhere in his entire career despite scoring tens of goals every season, he said:

“These are political awards. They want ‘Mr Perfect’. If you speak and say what you think you can’t get them. It’s easy to give them to Mr Nice Guy. It doesn’t change anything for me, it doesn’t make me better or worse.”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic recently revealed that he is not thinking about taking a break from international football anytime soon. The player is expecting another 12-month contract at the San Siro after the his current expires this summer.

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Dembele and Torres called on Pedri to win next Ballon d'Or on his Instagram post

Ousmane Dembele and Ferran Torres called on Pedri to win the next Ballon d'Or award after his brilliant performance in the El-Clasico against Real Madrid. Barcelona thumped the La Liga table leaders 4-0 to win the match at the Santiago Bernabeau. Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang scored a brace while Ronald Araujo and Ferran Torres scored a goal each against Real Madrid.

Pedri dominated the game from his position in central midfield and was key to Barcelona dominating the game. The 19-year-old Spanish international has been a consistent performer for Barcelona since the arrival of Xavi Hernandez at the managerial helm.