Süleyman Öztürk believes that Antoine Griezmann, not Lionel Messi, should have won the Ballon d’Or. That leaves the journalist Football International know in VI Uncensored. “Best footballer in the world, Antoine Griezmann.”
Messi won the Ballon d’Or for the eighth time on October 31, once again breaking his own record. The playmaker owed this mainly to his strong World Cup, which he won with Argentina. The biggest competitor for the prize was Erling Braut Haaland. The Norwegian won the treble with Manchester City and scored 52 goals in 53 games across all competitions last season the Citizens.
Messi therefore ran away with the prize, which in Öztürk’s view was unjustified. If it were up to the journalist of VI had it been, Griezmann would have won the prize. Öztürk talks in the online program about the injuries of Gavi and Vinícius Júnior, who were both far from unscathed from the international match. Öztürk notes that Griezmann ‘never gets injured’.
“He has played every minute of every international match since 2017. All friendly international matches, he never misses an international match. He is always fit, always present. Plays all matches. That is an extreme exception,” Öztürk says, before giving an unvarnished opinion. comes: “Best football player in the world, Antoine Griezmann.”
After his failed adventure at FC Barcelona, Griezmann has completely revived at Atlético Madrid. Stands for the France national team the little Prince already has 124 caps, in which he scored 44 goals. In October this year he broke the record for playing the most consecutive international matches: 81. With France he reached the World Cup final last year, while he had sixteen goals and nineteen assists at Atlético last season.
“The more I see him, the more fascinated I become by what he does and can do. He is really, really an amazing footballer. I would have given him the Golden Ball instead of Messi. I also thought he was phenomenal during the World Cup, at after the final. That is of course a very important one, that’s how it works in this world. That you have to be present at certain times. Or keep your face, like Wout Weghorst.”
In Madrid, Griezmann is considered the star player in a team full of stars. “How he has provided that team with new energy and impetus. How Simeone has also seen that he is an attacker and a midfielder. I think he is really great. We were also able to see that against Feyenoord.” Griezmann scored once in the Champions League against Feyenoord and was at times elusive for the Rotterdam team, who lost 3-2. Feyenoord will face off at home on November 28 los Colchoneros. “Then start paying close attention to him. He is the best player in the world.”