Soccer: I became Bruno Fernandes.

Chapter 275: FIFA Ballon d'Or

At this moment, Bruno was not overly concerned about his challengers on the Serie A top scorers list. This was because, on Monday night, the 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or award ceremony would take place at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.

Before the ceremony, Bruno needed to arrive in Zurich early to prepare for the evening event. For such a significant occasion, thorough preparation was essential to avoid any mishaps that could lead to embarrassment on a global stage.

Accompanying Bruno to Zurich was the team's head coach, Guidolin. As the coach of the Serie A champions and Champions League winners for the 2014-2015 season, and the coach of the team that won five titles in 2015, Guidolin was also one of the three nominees for the 2015 FIFA Best Coach award, with a strong chance of winning.

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Initially, there were two highest honors in football: the European Ballon d'Or, established by France Football magazine in 1956, and the FIFA World Player of the Year, awarded since 1991. However, in 2010, these two awards merged to create the FIFA Ballon d'Or.

Unlike the previous Ballon d'Or, where the winner was announced in advance, the FIFA Ballon d'Or results were kept secret until the award ceremony. Predictions were often unreliable because the opinions of professional sports journalists differed from those of national team coaches and captains. For example, in the inaugural 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or, many expected it to go to Spain's Xavi or Andrés Iniesta, who scored the winning goal in the World Cup final. Lionel Messi was also a finalist, but few expected him to win.

When Sepp Blatter announced Messi as the winner, it stunned everyone, including Messi himself, who quickly shifted from disbelief to joy, while Xavi and Iniesta appeared disappointed and even angry.

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With such precedents, predicting the FIFA Ballon d'Or winner was always uncertain. Bruno had excelled in the Champions League, but Udinese did not dominate domestically like Barcelona or Real Madrid. At the national team level, Bruno's performance wasn't better than Ronaldo's or Messi's. Additionally, Ronaldo, as Bruno's teammate and captain of the Portuguese national team, had his own influence.

There have been instances where winning the Champions League did not guarantee the World Player of the Year award. In 2005, despite Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard's heroic performance in the Champions League final, he didn't even make the top three for the FIFA World Player of the Year, which went to Ronaldinho, with Frank Lampard and Samuel Eto'o finishing second and third.

Similarly, in the inaugural 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or, Wesley Sneijder, who led Inter Milan to a treble and the Netherlands to the World Cup final, was not among the final three candidates.

These examples show that winning the Champions League doesn't ensure a FIFA award.

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While the Ballon d'Or, decided by sports journalists, might favor performance and media presence, the FIFA Ballon d'Or involved votes from 208 journalists, 208 national team coaches, and 208 national team captains, with journalists making up only a third of the votes. Coaches and captains, many from countries with limited football exposure, might base their choices on name recognition rather than performance.

For example, in 2010, the unfamiliarity with Xavi and Iniesta compared to Messi, a highly publicized player, influenced the outcome. Despite Xavi and Iniesta's pivotal roles in Spain's World Cup victory and Barcelona's success, Messi's global fame swayed many voters.

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The finalists for this year's award were Messi, Ronaldo, and Bruno. Compared to the first two, Bruno was less known globally. Despite being the top scorer, assist leader, and best player in the Champions League final, leading Udinese to a quintuple, his fame couldn't match Messi and Ronaldo, who had dominated the awards for seven years.

If voters focused on name recognition, Bruno would likely finish third, behind Ronaldo and Messi, who would compete for the top spot.

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Considering FIFA's controversial award history, including instances where voting irregularities were reported, some speculated that awards were pre-determined. Despite Blatter's departure, such suspicions remained.

Portuguese media, indifferent to who would win, focused on potential tensions between Ronaldo and Bruno, both crucial for Portugal's national team success.

The award ceremony was set for Monday night. Bruno arrived in Zurich in the morning and encountered Ronaldo outside their hotel.

Ronaldo joked, "Whoever wins, the other has to treat!"

The two laughed and chatted amiably, showing no signs of tension. If media saw this, many rumors would be dispelled.

(End of chapter)

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