Tamura: Ronaldo didn't deserve the Ballon d'Or

Japanese journalist went for Suarez

Posted Sunday, December 18, 2016 by Marca.com

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo won his fourth Ballon d'Or on December 12, but Japanese journalist Shuichi Tamura believes that the 31-year-old wasn't a worthy recipient.

Tamura had a part in the voting process for the prestigious award, however he instead opted to vote for Barcelona's Luis Suarez.

Indeed, it is the company for whom he works, France Football, who hand out the gong.

"On a collective level, there is no doubt that 2016 has been the best year for Cristiano Ronaldo, but it has not been on an individual level," Tamura stated.

"So, although at first glance it should be him [Ronaldo], I thought of other names like [Gareth] Bale, [Antoine] Griezmann, and Luis Suarez... Finally I chose Suarez who, despite being absent from the Copa America, won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Super Cup and the Pichichi trophy."

The top three of Tamura, surprisingly, did not include Barcelona's Lionel Messi, a decision that is largely due to his experiences with Argentina.

"Although Messi is with Cristiano Ronaldo as being the best footballers of today - and one of the best in history - this year he failed to win the Copa America," he continued.

"This means that he has not done enough with Argentina, who he also lost the World Cup final in 2014.

"And in addition to the Champions League, that is the main difference between Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi this year."

Tamura also believes that the superiority that Ronaldo and Messi have over their peers will come to an end in the near future.

"Maybe in a year or two, not long beyond that," he argued.

"Historically the reign of a team or player ends suddenly.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is 31 years old and Messi is 29 and it is currently the LaLiga clubs that dominate in Europe, but perhaps that could be usurped by clubs from the Premier League or the Bundesliga, or even Serie A.

"The player [who will win it instead of Ronaldo and Messi]? I don't know, perhaps Neymar but he has not yet reached their level.

"But there will surely be a new star to take over from them."

Ahead of Kashima Antlers' Club World Cup final against Real Madrid, Tamura has given some insight on the Japanese outfit.

"Kashima is the only Japanese club to have its own football culture," he said.

"Just as Johan Cruyff helped the Barcelona that is still in place today, it was Zico who did the same with Kashima Antlers.

"Everything started with Sumitomo Kinzoku in 1992, a club that was then active in the second division and won promotion.

"They were renamed Kashima Antlers a year later with the arrival of the first professional football league in the history of Japan.

"The influence of Zico is demonstrated by the fact that the Kashima Antlers have always looked to play in a Brazilian way.

"We have examples of past players like Leonardo [who also played for Valencia, PSG and AC Milan] and Jorginho [Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich], along with former coach Toninho Cerezo."