Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos has stated that Spanish players do not get the credit they deserve when it comes to the Ballon d’Or.
Speaking at a news conference, the player claimed that the Spanish contingent has remained under-appreciated for the coveted trophy but he was careful to not be overly critical of the process since his current teammate Cristiano Ronaldo won the prize recently and his manager Zinedine Zidane, too, has been the recipient of the award in the past.
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The Real Madrid captain expressed his surprise that neither Andres Iniesta nor Raul had won the trophy, despite taking the footballing world by storm during their glorious years.
Though players from the La Liga occupied the top 6 spots in the Ballon d’Or rankings with Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann occupying the top 3 spots, none of the nominated Spanish trio of Ramos, Iniesta and Koke managed to attract a single vote. While he did not expect a lot of votes in his favour, Ramos was surprised that Iniesta did not get a single vote.
Ramos was quoted as saying, “It surprised me that Iniesta did not get any votes for the Ballon d'Or, but no, I was not surprised that I did not get any votes. It surprises me that Raul and Iniesta never won a Ballon d'Or. It seems that Spanish players are not valued as much.”
However, with his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo winning the trophy, the player chose the diplomatic route out of the situation towards the end of his conversation with the press and added, “I do not know the criteria they follow to vote for the Ballon d'Or. But I say that with all due respect, because we have someone here at Madrid who won it once.”
Real Madrid and Ramos have seen their lead at the top of the La Liga table cut down to 3 points, albeit with a game in hand after Barcelona comprehensively beat Espanyol in the Catalan derby, and will be keen to continue their glorious form in the La Liga when they return to action against Granada post the Christmas break.
The defender returned to action only recently after missing 6 weeks on account of an injury and he remains a critical part of the Real Madrid campaign. The side has looked better with him leading the defence and the player will be keen to carry the good form into the upcoming year.
