Matthaus: Messi the only player who can win - FIFA BALLON D'OR 2015
Interview Video
Lothar Matthaus can be forgiven for reminiscing when the FIFA Ballon d’Or is presented on 11 January 2016. The ceremony will mark 25 years since he beat France’s Jean-Pierre Papin and England striker Gary Lineker to the prestigious trophy, back when he was Germany’s FIFA World Cup™ winning captain and a key player for top Italian club Inter Milan.
“It was simply a fantastic year for me, and this award was not only an accolade for me personally but also a testament to the entire German team,” the 54-year-old recalls in an interview with FIFA.com. “Nevertheless, it’s obviously great to be able to accept an [individual] prize like that. The period around the 1990 World Cup really was the best part of my entire career. The world’s most talented players were going toe-to-toe in Italy – so many international stars were there. It was only natural having that rivalry and challenge every weekend also made each of us stronger.”
By that point Matthaus had long been one of the beautiful game’s biggest global stars and remains one of the finest leaders the land of the four-time world champions has ever produced. Between 1979 and 2000 he made 25 appearances at five FIFA World Cup, won 150 caps for Germany, lifted the Bundesliga trophy six times with Bayern Munich, won five DFB Cups, two UEFA Cups, one FIFA World Cup and a UEFA EURO title.
Defenders in the minority
While Fabio Cannavaro’s list of honours is not quite as long as Matthaus’s, it is nonetheless remarkable given that the Italian is the only defender ever to have been crowned FIFA World Player of the Year. In fact, only four other defensive players have ever made the final podium: defenders Paolo Maldini and Roberto Carlos in 1995 and 1997 respectively and goalkeepers Oliver Kahn and Manuel Neuer in 2002 and 2015.
When asked to explain this imbalance, Matthaus replied: “Of course it’s always easier to rate players when they’re scoring plenty of goals. While I was at least an attacking player, Cannavaro was a centre-back who hardly ever found the target – but it was thanks to him and his strong back line that Italy became world champions in 2006,” he said. “As a player I was always focused on pushing forward but was also prepared to defend for my team, so when the team achieved success I think I benefited from it and won the title.”
There can be only one winner: Messi
The most recent recipients of the FIFA Ballon d’Or have plenty of experience in scoring goals and winning trophies. Over the past few years, the race for world football’s most prestigious individual award has become a two-way battle between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as they break one record after another. The Argentinian has triumphed on four occasions while the Portuguese star has three titles to his name.
Matthaus does not believe the situation will change this time around. “There’s really only one player who can win the Ballon d’Or this year: Lionel Messi,” he predicted. “He’s had another exceptional year for Barcelona by winning not only the Champions League but also the double in Spain, and only just missed out on a trophy with Argentina.” The Albiceleste were consigned to bitter defeats by both Germany in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final and Chile in this year’s Copa America. “Nevertheless,” Matthaus continued, “his goal tally, spectacular play and the successes he has celebrated with Barcelona speak for themselves. He has repeatedly proven his exceptional class and remarkable talent. For me it would be a huge surprise if Messi didn’t win.”
The 54-year-old is similarly confident about who will succeed Germany coach Joachim Low as FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football, explaining to FIFA.com that title success will once again be decisive. “[Barcelona coach] Luis Enrique is the big favourite to take home the coach award,” he said. “We haven’t had a EURO or World Cup this year, so the focus has primarily been on club performances – and Barcelona have led the way in that respect.”
We have fewer than 100 days to wait until we discover whether the former German international’s predictions come true and once again illustrate his affinity with the world of football.