Jordi Alba on Ballon d’Or: Barcelona defender Jordi Alba has voiced his opinion on Lionel Messi’s snub at the award ceremony.
Barcelona defender Jordi Alba has been significantly vocal in the past few days. After lashing out at Pele for overtly critical of Lionel Messi, the Barca defender has now spoken on the Argentine star’s snub at the Ballon d’Or ceremony.
Messi stood fifth in the final list, while Luka Modric won the award. French youngster Kylian Mbappe was at fourth position, while Ronaldo and Griezmann stood second and third respectively.
There have been arguments surrounding Messi’s position in the list, with many stating that the voting had been unjust.
Jordi Alba is the latest name to add to the list of critics. In his outburst, he also talked about Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid.
Jordi Alba on Ballon d’Or:
The Barcelona defender insisted that Lionel Messi deserved to win the award. In a major outburst, he also alleged that there have been ‘campaigns’ surrounding the award.
“The Ballon d’Or is a lie, there are many club and press campaigns [surrounding it],” Jordi Alba said, as quoted by Spanish media outlet Sport.
“Everyone knows that Messi is the best player in the world by far,” he added.
The defender also attacked Real Madrid in his statement, hinting that Ronaldo would’ve won the award if he was at the Spanish capital this season. The Portuguese forward left Real Madrid earlier this summer for Italian side Juventus.
“If Cristiano was still at Real Madrid he’d get the Ballon d’Or. There were many fans and journalists who wanted Cristiano to get the Ballon d’Or when he was in Real Madrid.”
“Well, Cristiano left… and Modric gets it,” Alba said.
What next?
Barcelona are currently at the top of the La Liga table, as they registered an emphatic 4-0 victory over Espanyol on the weekend. Lionel Messi starred for the Catalan side as he scored a brace in the game, scoring both the goals through free-kicks.
Ernesto Valverde’s side will return to action on Tuesday as they take on Tottenham in the Champions League at Camp Nou. Pochettino’s side faces a must-win game, as any other result could knock them out of the competition.
