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Luis Suarez's Ballon d’Or snub was political, says former Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard
Anfield captain is angry that his former team-mate is not competing with Cristiano Ronaldo for the Fifa Player of the Year award after his goalscoring feats last season
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard says this year’s Ballon d’Or has been undermined by the "political" decision to snub his former team-mate Luis Suárez.
Suárez’s disciplinary problems mean he was not considered for the Fifa Player of the Year award.
“I can’t believe it but that’s politics in football isn’t it?” Gerrard said. “He scored 31 goals and was top scorer and voted best player in the hardest league in the world. So you tell me how he’s not on the Ballon D’Or list?
“It is incredible. He should be fighting Cristiano Ronaldo for the Ballon D’Or. That’s a fact.”
Gerrard believes Ronaldo is currently the world’s best, as shown during last week’s Champions League meeting between Real Madrid and Liverpool.
“Sometimes when you go a goal down and no one has done much wrong and no mistake has been made, you have to hold your hands up and say it was a magical goal by a magical player,” Gerrard said.
“Throughout my career coaches have said to me there are times no tactics, or anything you can do, will stop quality football. That first Real Madrid goal against us – the ball over the top and the finish – very few in the world can do that. I applaud that goal.
“It’s been interesting to see Ronaldo’s progress, improving year by year. He has changed from being an individual player out wide – a showman who sometimes did skill that did not always hurt the opposition – to being more direct and lethal. He is more of a forward than a winger and for me is now the No 1 out there. He has added so much to his game. I’ve never seen a player improve year by year so quickly.”