A Ballon D’or for the team game

It was during an early group match during the World Cup that I had the feeling the Ballon D’or would find a new recipient for the first time in a very long time.

It perhaps all came down to one moment.

Croatia was playing Argentina. Receiving the ball 25 yards from the Argentine goal, Croatia’s captain Luka Modric twisted one way, then the other, leaving the Argentine defender in a tangle. Then, sighting the narrowest of possibilities, he unleashed a sublime curling shot which began a foot outside the goal post and curled its way in.

A truly beautiful goal from the player who had helped his team mates across club and country to score so many over the years. For once the spotlight zoomed in on the Croatian captain. It was a deserved moment of public adulation, especially considering so much focus was on the famous Argentine number 10 till then. That moment set up Croatia’s historic campaign in the World Cup.

Much of the conversation around the best footballer over the last decade has revolved around goal-scoring prowess. Two names, Messi and Ronaldo, have towered over the rest. This is not to say that they aren’t deserving winners of the Ballon D’or, but the excessive spotlight on them has taken away from the exploits of so many others. Think Xavi, Iniesta, Pirlo, Ribery, Robben, and Neuer, to name but a few.

This has changed the manner in which football is both played and perceived, particularly among the coming generation, typically in countries where the game is still finding its feet. Everyone now simply wants to score. I have been witness to lots of parents quarrelling with hapless coaches at academies, who put their kids in defensive positions. ‘How will he score?’ seems to be the dominant complaint, which has many trainers tearing out their hair, resulting in premature balding for an entire profession.

Football used to be called the ultimate team game. But the last ten years, and perhaps the rise of an individualistic culture, has seen it become more of a star centered sport.

There were many things football taught the young mind; primary among these being that one can never do it alone, and one always needs to be available to assist others. But that very team ethic stands threatened now.

Perhaps media should take Modric winning the Ballon D’or, as a cue to once again direct the conversation to other parts of the pitch. To those who work tirelessly in the engine rooms of teams and make them tick, often giving up center stage so that other better-placed team mates can shine.

For it is that noble spirit of giving and service that raises the spirit of the game, even that of humanity itself.

This is why the ‘Modric Ballon D’or’ can serve as a turning point, to reclaim the spiritual purity of what was always a great team sport.

(Vinay Kanchan is the author of Lessons from the Playground)