RMC News: Zdravko Reić, the journalist representing Croatia in the 2024 Ballon d'Or voting, explained his choices in detail. None of the top three finalists – Kane, Mbappé, and Yamal – appeared on his podium, and Yamal didn't even make his top ten.
He did not entirely follow the consensus vote. Zdravko Reić, who has represented Croatia in Ballon d'Or voting since 1992, revealed his complete top ten for the 2024 awards. Kane was crowned the Ballon d'Or winner in Paris on Monday night, but Reić's ranking was vastly different from the final result.
In his top three, the Croatian journalist placed Rodri first, Haaland second, and Messi third. This was followed by Ferran Torres in fourth, an unnamed player in fifth, Kane in sixth, Cubarsí in seventh, Vitinha in eighth, Dembélé in ninth, and Bellingham in tenth.
Kane misses out on the top five, Yamal drops out of the top ten
Several choices were surprising: a top three that differed significantly from the final podium (Kane, Mbappé, Yamal), Kane falling out of the top five, and even Yamal missing from the top ten. Reić explained these choices in his column for the Croatian newspaper "Večernji list".
"My criteria are as follows: 2024 is a World Cup year. Based on this, a player's performance and achievements at this World Cup automatically determine my vote," Zdravko Reić explained. "Everything else, the Champions League and all other competitions, comes second. That's how I see it."
His emphasis on the World Cup explains why Rodri was ranked first, along with the positions of Haaland, Messi, and Ferran Torres. "I placed Haaland second because he led Norway to an excellent performance at the World Cup (...), and I also wanted to pay tribute to the Norwegians, who brought a breath of fresh air to this World Cup."
"I placed Messi third because Argentina reached the World Cup final, and it was Messi who led the team all the way," he continued. "I placed Ferran Torres fourth because he scored a magnificent goal in the World Cup final."
Regarding Kane's sixth-place ranking, the Croatian journalist admitted his error in judgment. "I must now admit that was a mistake. I have to concede that I was wrong to rank Kane so low," he confessed.
As for Yamal not making the top ten, he stood by his decision: "I didn't include him on the list because he arrived at the World Cup with an injury, didn't play many matches, and his contribution compared to other Spanish players was minimal, even negligible," he explained. "He played only a minor role in Spain's World Cup victory."
Incidentally, the Ballon d'Or judging panel consists of 100 journalists, each representing a top 100 FIFA-ranked nation. Each voter must select 10 players and rank them in order, awarding 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point respectively. The assessment period is from August 3, 2023, to July 19, 2024.
bhawon07
10
From next year he should not be allowed to give vote 😂