Best Golden Ball Team: Who deserves to be on par with Messi and Ronaldo?

Lev Yashin is the only goalkeeper to have won the Ballon d'Or. The Russian legend was nicknamed "The Black Spider" because he wore an all-black uniform and had the ability to save shots as if he had more than two arms. Yashin was considered a goalkeeper ahead of his time. He came very far from his goal to save shots and also came in and out of the box to block crosses. Lev Yashin received the Ballon d'Or award in 1963.

Fabio Cannavaro remains the only defender to win the Ballon d'Or in the 21st century. After winning the 2006 World Cup, Cannavaro was named the best player in the world for his leadership and top-notch defensive thinking. Cannavaro is modest in height, only about 1.75m but is not afraid of aerial battles. In addition to his tackling skills, speed and power, Cannavaro is also very impressive with his feet. This is a particularly important quality for modern central defenders.

Franz Beckenbauer is the most versatile player on this list. He can play as a defender, midfielder or even a striker. During his playing days, "Emperor" Beckenbauer collected almost every title in a player's life such as the World Cup, the European Championship, the European Cup (the precursor to the Champions League), the Bundesliga and 2 Ballon d'Or in 1972 and 1976. The King of Football Pele admitted that Beckenbauer was one of the best players he had ever witnessed.

Lothar Matthaus was the most versatile midfielder of the German national team in the late 90s and early 2000s. In addition, he was also famous for his excellent ability to play as a center back. He played 4 seasons as a defensive midfielder for Inter Milan, before moving to Bayern Munich to play as a center back. At the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, Matthaus played as a sweeper - a hybrid position between a center back and a defensive midfielder. After 20 years of playing football, Matthaus played 150 times for the national team and more than 750 matches at club level, scoring more than 200 goals. Matthaus won the Bundesliga 7 times and the Scudetto once.

Zinedine Zidane won the Golden Ball in 1998, a few months after France won the World Cup. Zidane is a talented midfielder of modern football. He possesses the ability to hold the ball superbly, shoot and pass with both feet and is always one step ahead of his opponents. He has won all the most prestigious titles in a player's life such as the World Cup, European Championship, Champions League, Golden Ball, etc. After retiring, Zidane won 3 more consecutive Champions Leagues with Real Madrid as head coach.

Michel Platini was the first player to win the Ballon d'Or three years in a row, in 1983, 1984 and 1985. Like Zidane, Platini played intelligently and always anticipated every situation. Playing in midfield, Platini scored 354 goals throughout his career. He is considered the best French player of the 20th century. After retiring, Platini served as president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for many years, but lost his seat in 2019 for bribery.

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the two best players of the 21st century, along with Lionel Messi. Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or 5 times between 2008 and 2017. Ronaldo has played more than 1,200 professional matches for the team and club, scoring 907 goals. More than half of these came in the period 2009 - 2018, when CR7 played for Real Madrid. Now nearly 40 years old, Ronaldo still has the ambition to score 1,000 goals before retiring.

European media once described Ronaldinho's playing style: "He plays like he's playing futsal on the beach. He's comfortable expressing himself without fear." Ronaldinho is one of the best dribblers of all time. Today, footage of Ronaldinho tormenting Real Madrid's defense in El Clasico matches still appears all over social media. Before Messi joined Barcelona's first team, Ronaldinho was La Blaugrana's most important player. He won the World Cup, Champions League, La Liga and the Ballon d'Or in 2005.

Ronaldo is affectionately nicknamed "O Fenomeno" by fans, meaning "The Alien". The player who won two Golden Balls in 1997 and 2002 possesses so many qualities at the same time: speed, strength, technique, thinking and eyes that always find a way into the goal. Ronaldo's way of playing is quite simple. Wherever there are many defenders, he will rush straight in. Ronaldo alone once collapsed the defense systems of top European teams at the 2002 World Cup, and countless other clubs in national championships. Kaka once praised Ronaldo: "He is the greatest player I have ever played with. Ronaldo does things that no one has ever done before. The way he moves is perfect. He is truly an alien."

Johan Cruyff is still the greatest legend of Dutch football. He is famous for his fake shots and dribbling to get past opponents. Cruyff even created a very strange turning skill, later named after himself as the "Cruyff turn". He won the Golden Ball in 1971, 1973 and 1974. After retiring, he spread his philosophy of total attack to top European teams such as Barcelona and Ajax. This was the foundation for Frank Rijkaard and Pep Guardiola to continue his legacy at Camp Nou.

Messi is simply the greatest player to ever play football. After eight Ballon d'Ors, one World Cup, two Copa Americas, and countless club titles, Messi has reached every pinnacle of the game . At 37, he continues to break records at Inter Miami. He helped the team win their first titles, turning Inter Miami into the most feared force in MLS in just one year. Former England international Ray Hudson once said: "They told me that in the eyes of God, all men are the same. But Messi made me seriously consider those words."

The best Ballon d'Or team of all time.

Thanh Loc

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/doi-hinh-qua-bong-vang-xuat-sac-nhat-ai-xung-dang-ngang-hang-messi-ronaldo-ar903606.html