Sid Lowe writes on the truly fun part of the Ballon D’Or awards—finding out how everyone voted.
Lowe argues that while it’s great for us to be able to see who players and coaches picked for their best of the year, it unfortunately allows the possibility for members to vote based on how they wish to be seen—by the media, fans and most importantly their sensitive colleagues—rather than on what they actually think:
The question is not that absurd: after all, when it was revealed that Carlos Queiroz, the Portuguese coach of Iran, had chosen Messi over Ronaldo, the president of the Portuguese Federation Gilberto Madaíl attacked him bitterly. It was as if Queiroz was not allowed to simply believe that Messi had been better. Or, to look at it from the other side, some wondered if Queiroz was exacting revenge for the fact that he and Ronaldo had not always enjoyed the best of relationships.
