Football expert Valeriy Masalitin shared his thoughts on Usman Dembele winning the Ballon d'Or in an exclusive interview with the website Euro-Football.Ru. This was reported by Euro-football.ru.
He emphasized that many experts struggled to choose the best footballer. In his personal opinion, he stated that Dembele is precisely the one deserving to receive this award.
Unlike previous winners — Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo — he stressed that Dembele's victory is justified. Masalitin also mentioned that Dembele's winning the Ballon d'Or was an unexpected outcome for many.
He pointed out that this was due to the strength of other candidates as well. For example, he highlighted that there were five candidates from the PSG team in the top ten.
He also recalled that many believed the Ballon d'Or should have been awarded to Kylian Mbappé. If Barcelona had won the Champions League, the award would have gone to Mbappé, the expert said.
Winning the Champions League is an important factor in a footballer receiving the main individual award. French players lead as the country with the most Ballon d'Or wins.
Next year, the award is expected to be given to Mbappé. This indicates that the country's players are capable of performing at a high level, and that French footballers have always been prominent representatives of European football.
Luis Enrique was named the best coach of the year. This result is logical since PSG won all competitions.
Masalitin said that the Champions League victory helped Enrique earn this title. PSG dominated not only in the domestic championship but also on the international stage.
PSG was recognized as the best club of the past season. This is also logical, as the club has been preparing for this for many years.
The best goalkeeper award was given to Gianluigi Donnarumma. He became the second goalkeeper after Emiliano Martinez to win this award twice.
Experts expressed their agreement with this choice. Donnarumma had a quality season, won many trophies, and deservedly received the award.
Donnarumma named Jan Oblak as the best goalkeeper among his contemporaries. This opinion is likely based on objective indicators.
Goalkeepers know each other's capabilities well. Oblak has also been performing seriously for many years.
Perhaps Donnarumma likes his style of play. Goalkeepers have their own unique perspectives.
The interview was conducted by Elena Grigorievskaya.
