Chapter 648: Controversy Surrounding the Nominees
On October 30th, in the 11th round of La Liga, Real Madrid hosted Sevilla at home.
The Galacticos continued their hot streak from the Century Derby, launching a fierce attack on the visiting side right from the start.
In the 13th minute, Isco sent a through pass from the midfield, and Iguaín received the ball on the left side of the penalty area, then passed it back. Wang Feng, positioned at the 14-meter mark in the middle, received the ball and shot fiercely, piercing through Beto's hands and opening the scoring for the home team.
In the 27th minute, Real Madrid struck again. Wang Feng was fouled by Sevilla defender Navarro while dribbling the ball, and the referee awarded a free kick to the home team from 25 meters in front of the goal.
The Chinese superstar took the free kick himself, and the ball soared over the wall, rapidly dropping under Beto's incredulous gaze, slipping past his outstretched hand and into the net behind him, making it 2-0!
Just 4 minutes later, Navarro fouled Wang Feng again in the penalty area, resulting in a penalty!
Bale stepped up to take the penalty, deceiving the goalkeeper and slotting it into the bottom left corner of the net.
With a 3-goal lead, the home team felt confident, but Sevilla showed resilient fighting spirit.
In the 38th minute, Figueiras seized an opportunity to break into Real Madrid's penalty area. Ramos, who returned to the starting lineup after serving a 3-match suspension, made a heavy tackle and was penalized for a foul. The away team was awarded a penalty, which Rakiti? converted.
Two minutes later, Ramos made another mistake, and after Vitolo broke through on the wing and crossed, Jairo passed from the left side of the small penalty area, and an unmarked Bacca scored from close range, bringing the score to 3-2.
The seemingly secure lead suddenly became turbulent, and at halftime, coach Ancelotti erupted in anger. According to some reports, he directly substituted Ramos, replacing him with Coentrao.
In the second half, the Galacticos remained highly focused, with everyone wearing serious expressions, showing no signs of complacency as if they were the team trailing behind.
In the 53rd minute, Wang Feng intercepted the ball in midfield and organized a swift counterattack. After breaking through the defensive line on the wing, he crossed into the penalty area where Iguaín received the ball and shot seamlessly, leaving Beto helpless.
Seven minutes later, Bale crossed from the right side of the penalty area, and the Chinese superstar extended his left foot to deflect the ball into Sevilla's net.
5-2! Wang Feng completed a hat-trick, his third in the league this season, fully restoring his scoring prowess!
In the 71st minute, Iguaín received a lob pass from Alonso and acted as a pivot, lifting the ball to Wang Feng, who then dribbled past the defense and sent a diagonal pass, allowing Bale to continue expanding the lead for the home team.
Eight minutes later, Marcelo charged down the sideline and delivered a lobbed pass into the box, where Iguaín rose high to head the ball into the net, scoring the final goal of the match.
The final score was 7-2! Real Madrid thrashed Sevilla!
Entering November, FIFA and "France Football" announced the latest 23 nominees for the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or award, with the seven-time consecutive champions Real Madrid naturally being the biggest winners, with a total of 6 players selected.
They were Wang Feng, Casillas, Ramos, Alonso, Modric, and Iguaín.
The UEFA Champions League runners-up and Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich followed closely behind with 4 players selected: ?zil, Müller, Robben, and Schweinsteiger.
Barcelona had 4 players selected as well: Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, and Suárez.
Paris Saint-Germain had 3 players selected: Cavani, Ibrahimovic, and Thiago Silva.
Manchester City had 2 players selected: Ronaldo and Yaya Touré.
The remaining players were Chelsea's Hazard, Monaco's Falcao, Manchester United's Rooney, and Juventus's Pirlo.
The announcement of the nominees for the best player of the year always sparks controversy, and this year's criticisms seem particularly loud.
First and foremost is the inclusion of Chelsea's rising star Hazard among the Ballon d'Or nominees. Although Mourinho led the team to win the UEFA Europa League last season, Mata, not Hazard, was voted the team's best player. It seems that the Spanish international would be a more suitable candidate for the list.
On the other hand, the UEFA Europa League has been losing its prestige, and its competitiveness is far from that of the UEFA Champions League. Players like Gündogan and Reus, who helped Borussia Dortmund reach the Champions League semi-finals, and Isco, who made history with Málaga, shine much brighter than Hazard.
The only reasonable explanation seems to be the club's promotion. In fact, the role of the club in player awards cannot be ignored. The top management often decides to heavily market only one core player, and Hazard is clearly seen as the future of Stamford Bridge.
Another topic of discussion is the decreasing representation of defensive players. In the 57 editions of the Ballon d'Or, forwards and attacking midfielders have won it 52 times.
Of course, some netizens jokingly call Wang Feng a "defensive player," which is not entirely false. He was the hot favorite to win the award last season due to his outstanding performance as a defensive midfielder, but with 30 league goals and 39 assists, it's hard to categorize him as a traditional defensive powerhouse.
Pirlo is facing the same dilemma as Hazard, being outshone by his teammates. Many Juventus fans questioned why Vidal was not included in the nominees, as the Chilean midfielder, being the team's top scorer in midfield, was a key contributor to Juventus's defense of the Serie A title.
Suárez's inclusion came as a surprise to many. They questioned whether a player who bites opponents on the field can be considered one of the best in the world?
While the Uruguayan's skills are indeed outstanding, controversies surrounding him are endless, including multiple biting incidents and the handball in the World Cup.
Even the legendary Uruguayan striker Luis Aravés has commented: "Suárez should learn to be more mature if he wants to vie for individual honors."
Alongside the announcement of the best player nominees, FIFA also released the list of 10 candidates for the best coach, led by Real Madrid's Ancelotti, with Heynckes, Ferguson, Klopp, Benítez, Mourinho, Wenger, and others also on the list.
The most controversial figure is undoubtedly Arsenal's coach Wenger, as it's been 9 years since Arsenal last won any trophy, and none of his players made it to the Ballon d'Or nominee list.
Perhaps it's because he led a team with not-so-outstanding competitiveness to secure a top-four spot in the fiercely competitive Premier League? This is hardly convincing.
Especially for Atlético Madrid fans, they believe that their manager, Simeone, should at least be ranked among the top five coaches in the world.
Leading a mid-table team to the third place in the league standings, and being able to compete with epic clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona is quite remarkable.
In terms of team strength and achievements, Spanish coaches are definitely qualified.
Benítez's inclusion in the nominees, after a season of nothing, is largely due to the fact that, as of now in the new season, he has led Napoli to the top of the Serie A standings, ahead of the northern powerhouses and Roma, whether he can maintain this position until the end remains to be seen.
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