Wednesday night was a very special night in the world of football. One of the most successful trophies in history, the Ballon d'Or awarded by UEFA , already knows its candidates. Something that players, clubs and fans are looking forward to with excitement as they wait to see their positions in the rankings and, why not, dream of lifting the iconic trophy.
However, it also involves quite a few controversial decisions, as only 30 players are nominated for the award. This means that many players who have had a very outstanding year have to be left out of the award, something difficult for teams and fans to deal with. And this is the scenario that has occurred in the Atlético de Madrid community, who have seen how none of their players are nominated for the Ballon d'Or .
A gala without Antoine Griezmann
Despite the long list of absences at the upcoming ceremony to choose the best player of the season, the absence of Antoine Griezmann is striking. The French Atlético de Madrid player will not be among the different options for voters to evaluate his season, something that has not pleased the red-and-white fans at the Metropolitano . And it is no wonder, because with his 32 goals generated last season between the 24 goals and the 8 assists, the little prince was expected among the candidates for gold.
He has also had a very special season, as he managed to become the top scorer in the history of Atlético de Madrid . It was in the Spanish Super Cup , against Real Madrid , when Antoine Griezmann surpassed a legend like Luis Aragonés . Along with these achievements, the Frenchman was considered one of the best footballers in LaLiga and, therefore, not seeing his name on the list of nominees has been surprising.
One more injustice after the Ballon d'Or in 2018
This is not the first time that Antoine Griezmann has been at the centre of controversy with a Ballon d'Or gala. In 2018, the Frenchman finished behind Luka Modric , who was chosen to lift the trophy. The Real Madrid player finished ahead of the Atlético player, generating a huge wave of criticism for the goals achieved by each player.
That year, Antoine Griezmann had a much more complete season than the Croatian. He scored more goals (44-5), gave more assists (26-15), won more titles (3-1) and emerged victorious on more occasions when both players faced each other. However, UEFA decided to award the prize to Luka Modric , which was the first injustice of the biggest undertaking in European football for Diego Pablo Simeone's team.