FILIPE LUIS : BALLON DOR IS A POLITICAL PRIZE The Brazilian defender feels Lionel Messi did not do enough in 2013-14 to earn the award and admits Real Madrid were the worthy winners of the Champions League final. Filipe Luis has described the Ballon dOr as a political prize - but says Cristiano Ronaldo has done more to deserve it than any other player in 2014. The Portugal captain remains the favourite to claim the award for the second year in a row following his incredible goalscoring standards for Real Madrid in the past year, though Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer provide some stern competition. Chelsea defender Filipe Luis starred for Atletico Madrid last season en route to La Liga glory before leaving for Jose Mourinhos men in the summer. And he thinks that although Messi is arguably the greatest player he has ever faced, no one has done more than Ronaldo in 2014 to lift the trophy in January. Messi is one of the most talented players Ive faced, if not the best, but I dont think hes had a season to deserve the Ballon dOr, Filipe Luis said in an interview with Marca. Although it seems a political prize, Cristiano has done far more than anyone else to win. The Brazilian full-back went on to admit that Atleticos defeat to Real in the Champions League final this year - which came about after Sergio Ramos equalised with an injury-time header - left him hurting throughout the summer as he sealed a transfer to Chelsea. That late corner hurt a lot. It was a very bitter holiday, despite us winning the league, said the Brazil international. Its true there were only two minutes left, but Real Madrid deserved to win. Theyll be a very difficult opponent in any knockout tie. They have confidence and have shed the burden of La Decima. That, together with the quality theyve put together, make Real Madrid a very powerful rival. Atletico remain in the Liga title race and reached the Champions League knockouts despite losing a number of key players in the summer. And Filipe Luis is confident Diego Simeones men will fight to defend their title despite the relative struggles of some of their replacement players. They seem to have the same intensity and style of play. I think they can fight for La Liga. Theyve got a lot of new players and not all of them can explode in the first year. Thats the case with Antoine Griezmann, he added. Courtesy : goal (FDC)
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 03:42:03 +0000
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