Sneijder's Snub

No disgrace in Sneijder snub

Javier Zanetti called it absurd. Massimo Moratti unjust. But was it really that much of a surprise that Inter’s Wesley Sneijder didn’t even make the three-man shortlist for the 2010 Golden Ball?

It’s no secret that the Dutchman had his eye on Ballon d’Or glory after an almost perfect year from a results point of view. A crucial element in Jose Mourinho’s treble winning Nerazzurri side and a World Cup runner-up, after helping his nation to the Final with five goals, Sneijder was justified in believing that he would soon be crowned king.

That now won’t happen, at least not in 2010, and it’s that South African defeat to a Spanish side which included Andres Iniesta and Xavi – who along with Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi are in the running to win the France Football honour – that ultimately cost him. A list of the most recent Ballon d’Or winners and Diego Milito will tell you as much.

For the past 28 years, it has become clear that if you want to be crowned the continent’s best player then you have to get your hands on the World Cup. Paolo Rossi did it in 1982, Lothar Matthaus in 1990, Zinedine Zidane eight years later, Ronaldo after an injury hit 2002 and Fabio Cannavaro four years ago.

The only recent exceptions were in 1986 and 1994 when Argentina’s Diego Maradona and Brazil’s Romario, although based in Europe, were not eligible to win the prize given that non-Europeans were only permitted for consideration from 1995 onwards.

Of course Wesley’s club form in the past 12 months, or at least the first half of the year, should have been enough for a podium finish given Inter’s unprecedented simultaneous victories of the Scudetto, the Champions League and the Coppa Italia. Yet if those triumphs were not enough for Milito to even make the 23-man long-list, why would it be enough for the former Real Madrid man to win it?

Sneijder’s critics can argue that, although he had an impressive 2009-10 campaign, he’s hardly...