Former France international Samuel Umtiti has criticised the way the Ballon d’Or is judged, arguing that the prestigious individual award places too much emphasis on personal statistics rather than collective achievements.
Umtiti questioned the inclusion of Mexico forward Julián Quiñones among the players considered, pointing to Mexico’s early exit from the World Cup.
They include Julián Quiñones, but what did he do at the World Cup? Four goals for Mexico and eliminated in the Round of 16? When I saw that, I wondered if it was a joke.”
The former Barcelona defender also argued that football is fundamentally a team sport and said players should not become overly focused on winning individual awards.
It’s very biased towards football, which is a team sport. People think much more about winning the Ballon d’Or than about collective achievements.”
Umtiti further dismissed the idea that statistics alone should determine the best player in the world, stressing that winning major trophies with a team should carry greater weight.
You can win a Champions League with your team and only think about yourself. Let’s talk about statistics again another time, because that’s not enough. Football is not just about statistics.”
Reflecting on the era dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Umtiti said he gradually lost interest in the Ballon d’Or because of the overwhelming focus on their individual numbers.
Since the Messi-Ronaldo era, I don’t even watch that trophy anymore. They had incredible statistics, and if they didn’t win a major trophy, it actually didn’t matter because their season was incredible.”
According to Umtiti, the current generation lacks a player who clearly stands above the rest in the way Messi and Ronaldo once did.
Now, there isn’t necessarily one great player standing above the others,” he told RMC Sport.
