Real Madrid have publicly rebuked UEFA president Michel Platini for expressing his opinion over who should win the Ballon d’Or.
Platini said on Wednesday that he believes a member of Germany’s World Cup-winning squad should be given the award, with six among the 23-man shortlist: Mario Gotze, Toni Kroos, Philipp Lahm, Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer and Bastian Schweinsteiger.
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With Cristiano Ronaldo favourite to win the award, Madrid yesterday published a strongly-worded letter urging the federation president to keep his mouth shut rather than attempting to influence voting national captains and managers.
Michel Platini’s comments about the Ballon d’Or should only fire up Cristiano Ronaldo, writes @nicholasrigg. http://t.co/nprmtBkodP
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 28, 2014
In the statement the club declared: “Its surprise at the repeated declarations regarding his personal preferences over the choice of the winner…particularly given that he is the head of European football’s principal body, where our understanding is that the strictest impartiality should prevail.”
There was also criticism of Platini’s views that the winner should be the member of a successful team, with Los Blancos adding: “The Ballon d’Or is an individual rather than collective prize…and in order to maintain its prestige, those who participate in the vote should take into account exclusively individual professional achievements.”
This latest row comes a year after a similar battle between Real and FIFA president Sepp Blatter, after he likened Ronaldo to a military commander during an appearance at Oxford University.
Ronaldo subsequently won his second Ballon d’Or trophy after voting was mysteriously extended just as the Portuguese star inspired his country into the World Cup with a play-off hat-trick against Sweden.
