The Frenchman has again voiced his dismay with the outcome of the prestigious individual award in recent years and is ready to boycott the ceremony
Bayern Munich attacker Franck Ribery feels it is impossible for any player to win the Fifa Ballon d’Or as long as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are around and has once more voiced his opinion that the award is all about politics.
Messi and Ronaldo have won the last seven editions of the award among them and Ribery believes there’s no way to dethrone the duo, irrespective of what a player has achieved, before hinting at a potential boycott in the future.
“So long as Ronaldo and Messi are around, the third player who gets nominated should realise that he does not stand a chance,” Ribery told AZ.
“It’s the same story all over again each and every year. I don’t know what one should achieve to win this award. Even winning the World Cup is apparently no longer enough.
“[Manuel] Neuer has been the best goalkeeper in the world for two or three years now. He won trophies with Bayern, won the World Cup and was the best goalkeeper in Brazil. Apparently, that’s not enough, though. I simply don’t understand it.
“When another Bayern player gets nominated, we should have a discussion whether it’s even worth going. What’s the point? To get your picture taken? It’s just politics for me.”
The ex-France international had to settle for third spot in the vote in 2013 – despite playing a key role in Bayern’s historic treble that year – while Neuer also came in third in 2014 after helping Germany to the world title in Brazil.