Reaction to the exclusion of African players in the Ballon d’Or Dream 11 list
The Ballon d’Or, the most prestigious individual award in football, will not be awarded this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Instead, the organisers have chosen to select the best squad of all time. And no African is included in the Ballon d’Or Dream 11 which has the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele, and Diego Maradona.
Tongues are wagging and Cameroon’s ex international Samuel Eto’o was the first to express his disapointment.
Our journalist Wahany Sambo describes the frustration.
“Today we can’t get 33 footballers out without quoting someone like Weah who made history by being the only African to win the Golden Ball.
There is also someone like Didier Drogba who not only made history in French football, but who is also a legend in England, on a European level he also shone and won the Champions League.
And what about Samuel Eto’o Fils who was one of the key elements of the dream team of FC Barcelona who crushed everything, he was one of the best strikers, crowned Pichichi, he should have won the golden ball; and at Inter Milan too.
But today, we can’t say that we’re going to bring out three best teams in history without naming these three footballers.
For me, it’s scandalous and it reinforces what Eto’o was saying, that the African footballer is not considered at his true value and that he is not considered to be the best player in the world.
That’s something to shout out loud and clear.”
