FIFA has released its Ballon d'Or shortlist, which means Sepp Blatter can take time away from his day job of punching up FIFA propaganda and gets to enjoy some of that media facetime he loves so much. Like you, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti would prefer Sepp spared us his hot takes.
Today's controversy comes to you by way of Blatter's comments on who he sees as the favorite for the award. He picked Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer, and if any keeper were a candidate he'd be the one, especially considering that he won the World Cup with Germany this summer and easily won the Bundesliga with his club.
Still, Ancelotti was not happy. In his mind, Cristiano Ronaldo is the obvious choice, and Blatter stumping for anyone else is just more evidence for how stupid the FIFA president is. Here's how he responded to the perceived snub, presumably while making the same face as in the picture up top:
"It always surprises me what he [Blatter] does, but what can we do. It's impossible to shut the mouth of the FIFA president. It is a subject that he always speaks about. There is not much to think about. It is Cristiano's year, he has been scoring goals and winning important titles, and there is no doubt that the Ballon d'Or is his. Therefore those words do not make much sense."
Ancelotti is right, of course; Ronaldo will win the award, and is very deserving of it. And while it does seem like a bit of an overreaction to blast Blatter on such an insignificant point, we're always going to side with the guy telling Sepp Blatter to pipe down.
[AS]