Brazil’s five Ballon d’Or votes revealed as Lionel Messi is completely omitted after Argentina’s Copa America win
BRAZIL’S five votes for this year’s Ballon d’Or trophy have been revealed.
And victor Lionel Messi was completely omitted after leading Argentina to Copa America glory over the Samba Boys in July.
Paris Saint-Germain star Messi scooped his seventh Ballon d’Or win on Monday.
The former Barcelona ace saw off competition from Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski and Chelsea’s Jorginho to the No1 individual prize in world football.
Fierce rival Cristiano Ronaldo could only finish in sixth place after selected journalists from across the globe cast their votes.
And ESPN have now revealed how Brazil ranked their top five players for the 2021 Ballon d’Or trophy.
TV Globo journalist Cleber Machado was his country’s representative.
And he named Man City’s Kevin de Bruyne as his No1 pick for the award.
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In second place was Chelsea’s Jorginho, with PSG’s Kylian Mbappe third.
And rounding off the group were Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku and Brazil’s very own Neymar.
The most notable absence on the list was eventual winner Messi.
The victor was given the award on the back of leading Argentina to victory in this year’s Copa America.
Messi’s men beat Brazil 1-0 in the final thanks to a strike from Angel Di Maria.
And some fans believe that had a direct bearing on Machado’s choices.
‘BIASED TROPHY’
One said: “Worst list of all time.”
Another wrote: “Biased trophy. Get rid of it and bring back sportsmanship.”
One noted: “Undeniable proof that Messi is finished.”
Another added: “Angry because Messi dunked on them.”
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