Popular football pundit, Gabriele Marcotti has said there are no clear favourites for the Ballon d’Or this year.
He said since Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s dominance, it has become difficult to pick a favourite.
He has criticized the award and labelled it a ‘popularity contest.’
The next Ballon d’Or award will be given in October in Paris.
In contention to claim the award are Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, and Rodri.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the award between 2008 and 2017.
Marcotti said on ESPN,
“This is so stupid the way we all get bent over backwards on this popularity contest.
“If [only] people knew the voting mechanism if they knew the people that vote on this and how some of them really don’t watch much football at all.
“And we’re sitting here guessing, it’s like the academy awards, ‘should win’, ‘will win’. I really couldn’t care less. If I had a vote, and I don’t, I’d probably give it to Rodri or [Toni] Kroos.
“For all these years with Cristiano and Messi, you really couldn’t screw this up because if it’s not one guy then it’s the other. Now that they’re gone and everybody is flawed [it’s strange].”
Ballon d’Or: ‘Just a popularity contest’- Marcotti speaks on favourite to win award