Football. Ua remembers how the owners of the Golden Ball played in the finals of the Champions League in the year of their victory.
On Saturday, June 3, in a match that will determine the best club in Europe, will converge between Real and Juventus, in the composition of which plays just two applicants for the Golden Ball - Cristiano Ronaldo and Gianluigi Buffon. In addition, France Football named two more favorites in the fight for the Golden Ball 2017.
We offer to recall the cases when the future holders of the Golden Ball played in the Champions League final in the year when they received the title of the best player in Europe.
Since the season of 1991/1992, when the European Cup became the Champions League, there were 25 finals. The future owners of the Golden Ball were lucky enough to take part in them 10 times.
1994 - Hristo Stoichkov (Barcelona) Champions League final. Milan - Barcelona 4: 0 The first was the Bulgarian Hristo Stoichkov. His Barcelona approached the final favorite, but Milan showed the best examples of counterattacking and defeated the Catalans. In fact, this match ended the era of Barcelona Cruyff - if before this final, Barcelona under the leadership of the Dutchman won the championship four times and once the Champions League (1992), then Barca for 11 consecutive years could not reach the Champions League final and three years did not win Championships in spain.
However, Stoichkov got his own golden ball for another - in the summer of the same year he gave a real extravaganza at the World Championship in the USA with the excellent Bulgarian team, reaching the semifinals, and Hristo scored six goals.
1998 - Zinedine Zidane (Juventus) Champions League final. Real - Juventus 1: 0 Very little was enough Zidane to collect in one year all the most important football trophies. Together with Juventus, he won the Italian championship, together with the French team became the world champion, and only defeat in the Champions League final spoiled the big picture. However, even with such luggage Zidane was on his head above the rest of the contenders and deservedly received the Golden Ball.
2003 - Pavel Nedved (Juventus) Champions League final. Milan - Juventus 0: 0 (n. - 3: 2) A very dramatic turn of the career turned out for Nedved in 2003 - Juventus reached the final thanks to Paul who himself scored Real Madrid and gave the pre-game at Del Piero (Sandro threw Trezeguet and he scored). But nine minutes before the end of the match Nedved received a yellow card and through a search of warnings could not play in the final.
In a very intense final Juventus lost. In principle, since there was neither the World Championship nor the European Championship that year, and the World Championship-2002, the Czech Republic failed to qualify there, we can say that Nedved was awarded on the basis of merit and victory in the championship of Italy.
2007 - Kaka (Milan) The Champions League final. Milan - Liverpool 2: 1 After the Kaka award was received only Messi and Ronaldo. It is interesting that in 2007, Ronaldo was second, and Messi third in the vote.
That year in the championship, Milan was only fourth, but managed to win the Champions League. It was the first season without Shevchenko, and Kaka became the clear leader of the team. In fact, he "pulled" on him Milan, becoming the top scorer of the Champions League (11 goals). In the final on his account an assist to Inzaghi.
2008 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Man. United) Champions League Final. MJ - Chelsea 1: 1 (n. N - 6: 5) Ronaldo received his first Golden Ball, playing for Manchester United. As a result of the 2007/2008 season, the mankunians became champions of England, and Ronaldo - the top scorer (31 goals) and the best player of the championship in different versions. The European Championship, held that year, turned out to be unsuccessful for Ronaldo - Portugal withdrew from the group from the first place, but lost at the first stage of the play-offs of the German national team (2: 3).
The final of the Champions League came out very dramatic. Ronaldo opened the scoring in the match, but the main time ended with a score of 1: 1 - Lampard at the end of the first half, the score equalized. It came to a series of penalties. Ronaldo did not score his penalty and only missed the last penalty Terry, allowed to continue the series. The next to miss was the Chelsea player Anelka and Manchester United, and with him, and Ronaldo won the tournament. By the way, Ronaldo, among other things, became the best scorer of the Champions League.
2009 - Lionel Messi (Barcelona) The Champions League final. Barcelona - Manchester United 2-0 The following year, Manchester United gave the title of the best team in Europe to Barcelona, ??while Ronaldo lost his Golden Ball to Messi. It was the first such trophy for the Argentinean. Messi with Barcelona became the champion of Spain, but in the race scorers, he was immediately ahead of three - Forlan, Eto'o and Villa.
The final of the Champions League Barcelona won confidently, and all that was honored in that game Ronaldo - yellow card. Messi also scored the ball, with the head. In that season, Lionel scored a lot of decisive goals - including Real Madrid on the Santiago Bernabeu, as well as in the Cup of Spain.
2011 - Messi (Barcelona) The Champions League final. Barcelona - Manchester United 3: 1 The next combination of the Golden Ball and the Champions League final took place in 2011. And again the author - Messi, and again Barcelona - Manchester United, and again the victory of the Catalans in two balls, and again the goal of Lionel.
2014 - K. Ronaldo (Real Madrid) Champions League Final. Real Madrid - Atletico 4: 1 After four consecutive Golden Messi balls (2009 - 2012), Ronaldo again returned the title of the best player in Europe to himself. The second time he received it in 2013, but in the Champions League final, Real Madrid did not hit, losing in the semifinals of Dortmund Borussia. Interestingly, in the semi-final semi-final, Bayern beat Barcelona. But in 2014 Ronaldo again collected a set of personal awards - the best scorer of the championship in Spain, the best scorer of the Champions League. The success of his teams, however, limited to the victory of Real in the Champions League, because the championship won Atletico, and at the World Cup in 2014 Portugal flew in the group stage.
2015 - Messi (Barcelona) Champions League Final. Barcelona - Juventus 3: 1 In the season 2014/2015 Barcelona became the champion, and Messi scored a fantastic 43 goals for the season (although Ronaldo in general scored 48!), But Lionel's hand was played, firstly, by the championship of Barcelona, ??secondly, The victory of Barca in the Champions League and the title of the best scorer of the European Cup divided between him, Neimar and Cristiano Ronaldo (10 goals).
2016 - K. Ronaldo (Real Madrid) Champions League Final. Real Madrid - Atletico 1: 1 (5: 3) This was the case when Messi had no chance to get around Ronaldo. The main reason - in 2016 the European Championship took place, which Portugal sensationally won (Ronaldo scored three times).
Interestingly, the Portuguese team went through three draws, and in the playoffs were, as one of the best teams, among those who took third place. This season, Ronald had to go through two series of penalty shoot-outs - one of them in the quarter finals with Poland, and the second in the Champions League final with Madrid Atletico. Both times Ronaldo scored, and in the final, the Champions League beat last.
Alexander Osirny, Football. Ua Author: Alexander Ozirnyy.