What’s the story?
Barcelona may have lost out on the League and the Champions League, but their star centre-back Gerard Pique had quite a few words to say about the Champions League final and who deserved to win the Ballon d’Or this year. Speaking to Mediaset-Italia produced programme Pomeriggio Cinque, Pique picked Juventus’ legendary shot-stopper GInaluigi Buffon to win the prestigious individual prize.
"It'd be nice if Buffon wins the Ballon d'Or. He's won the league the Cup and now he has the chance to win the Champions League. He deserves it for the career he's had, for the season he and Juve have enjoyed and because it would be nice if another goalkeeper wins it after [Lev] Yashin".
The Barcelona man also hoped that the Italian champions got the better of Real Madrid in the final, even calling them the ‘strongest’ team in the world.
"It'll be a game between two great teams. Juventus have been doing well for a number of years now and they have great players like Buffon, who really want to win this trophy for the first time and Dani Alves, our old teammate and it'd be nice to see him win it. They are the strongest side at the moment - as they showed in both of their games against us in which we couldn't even score a goal".
In case you didn’t know...
Buffon, with his stunning performances for Juventus this season, has proved to the world that age is just a number. The 39-year-old has constantly pulled off high quality saves and his excellent reflexes, positioning and shot stopping skills have only got better as time goes on.
Already a winner of the League and Cup, the Italian veteran will be hoping to get the better of Real Madrid and add the elusive Champions League to his extremely impressive medal haul.
Also read: 5 superstars who deserved the Ballon d'Or instead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
The heart of the matter
This season, there have been a number of stunning individual performances in various leagues and competitions throughout Europe. While the likes of Hazard, Kante, Mbappe and Toni Kroos have all been brilliant, arguably the race for the Ballon d’Or award is between Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gianluigi Buffon.
Although Barcelona have not won the League or the Champions League, the Argentine maestro has been in fine form and finished on top of the goalscoring charts in La Liga. Ronaldo, on the other hand, has shown his true worth in the Champions League. Always stepping up in crucial games, the Portuguese superstar has often turned the match single-handedly in favour of Madrid.
However, a strong case can be made for Buffon as well, especially if the Juventus legend manages to win the Champions League.
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Author’s Take
Buffon is undoubtedly one of the greatest players of this generation and deserves all the praise and respect he gets. Although Ronaldo and Messi have been at their usual best, should Juve win the Champions League, Buffon should definitely receive the Ballon d’Or for his stellar performances throughout the campaign.
Also read: 10 best footballers in La Liga this season
