The curse of full-backs strikes again. Hakimi, the new and future captain of the Moroccan national team and big favorite for the title of best African player of the year 2024, was beaten to the post by the talented Ademola Lookman, unfortunate finalist of the last African Cup of Nations with Nigeria and author of a hat-trick in the Europa League final won by his club, Atalanta Bergamo.
The Moroccan Achraf Hakimi was, however, the presumed favorite, given his career with the U-23 national team, bronze medal at the Paris Olympic Games, and his titles with his club, Paris Saint-Germain. He also came with his family to attend the closing ceremony of the CAF Awards, accompanied by his club president, Nasser El Khelaifi. In a little corner of their minds, all Moroccans thought that the African community was finally going to reward an Atlas Lions player in recognition of their journey in Qatar and the Olympic Games. No one looks at African Football the way they used to, and Achraf Hakimi, among others, has contributed a lot to it.
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It was ephemeral emotions that dictated the vote. Ademola Lookman burst onto the screen in the final of a European competition; it left its mark. There is no question of calling into question the decision of the jury and the democratic vote which led to this result, but nothing prevents us from trying to explain it objectively.
He is not the only full-back victim of the vote of an electoral college responsible for designating the best player of the season. Dani Carvajal, the Spanish player from Real Madrid, can also feel wronged. Author of a breathtaking season with his club and with the national team, he was completely legitimate for the Ballon d’Or this year. He won the Champions League by scoring a decisive goal in the final, the Liga with his club as well as the Euro with La Roja.
Unlike Ashraf, he was not the favorite; it was his teammate Vinícius Junior, ultimately named best player of the year by FIFA, who was popular with the public. Rodri, the Spanish midfielder from Manchester City, made everyone, or almost everyone, agree by winning the 2024 “France Football” Ballon d’Or.
The title of best player of the season is awarded according to a voting procedure in which, depending on the price, journalists, national coaches, captains of national teams or clubs, and sometimes the public are associated.
These votes are not objective for several reasons. The most important relates to the nature of football: it is a team sport where everyone has their part in a victory. We may score goals; if the defense does not slow down the opposing counter-attacks, we will suffer more and the match will be lost. This is not the only reason; it is often emotions that guide the votes of any electoral college.
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Emotions linked to a decisive match: this is the case for Lookman, who shone against Bayer Leverkusen in the final and disappeared for almost the entire rest of the season; to a favorite team or to a patriotic feeling for a player from the country they belong to.
Of course, there are objective elements which guide the votes: accumulated titles, regularity of performances, intrinsic qualities, proven leadership, influence on the game, fair play, behavior and many others. criteria. This is why decisions must be accepted with sportsmanship. However, we cannot let the public believe that a player will win and reveal a contrary result on the day of the ceremony. It’s good for the buzz and to attract the audience, but it’s bad for the content of the evening. The audience came out in Marrakech when Lookman’s name was called; it’s sad for the player who deserved an ovation. Rodri was whistled in Paris for his Ballon d’Or, even though he is a remarkable player. Pep Guardiola misses him terribly, who suffers in his absence.
This same public voted massively in favor of Vinícius Junior with 1,147,276 votes against only 264,835 votes for Rodri, according to the figures revealed during the “FIFA The Best 2024” ceremony in Qatar, the third distribution ceremony of individual prizes of this end of year.
The full-backs will still have to wait. Carvajal and Hakimi, the candidates for this FIFA and CAF edition, were trained at Real Madrid and both had an exceptional season with their respective teams. They are not alone historically: never has a full-back been designated or elected best continental or world player.
At the Ballon d’Or, priority has always been given to attackers and to a lesser extent to midfielders; the holders of these positions have almost won all the trophies. The center backs and goalkeepers were invited a few times but only among them the late Franz Beckenbauer was elected twice: in 1972 and 1976. On the other hand, the full-backs were never rewarded. Yet this position has become essential in modern football; it’s one that combines both full-time defensive and offensive responsibilities. The full-back thus covers large areas and must be capable of breaking down opposing counter-attacks while initiating situations of numerical superiority in attack.
Great players have occupied this position: Carlos Alberto, scorer in the 1970 World Cup final; Paul Breitner, goalscorer for Germany four years later; Giacinto Facchetti, legendary captain of Inter Milan (2nd in the 1965 Ballon d’Or behind Eusébio); and Ruud Krol (3rd in the 1979 Ballon d’Or behind Kevin Keegan and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge).
Morocco is no slouch, with a tradition of full-backs who have contributed greatly to the success of the national team; it is enough to remember that a full-back, Abdelkrim Hadrioui, was responsible for two assists which propelled Morocco to the 1994 and 1998 World Cups.
This position must be honored one day; he could have been voted twice this season by Fifa, CAF or France Football, but he was the victim of a vote based on emotions linked to a few matches or decisive actions. It’s only a postponement: the two popular hiccups of the ceremonies will give food for thought in the future.
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