Paul Pogba: A future Ball d’Or winner?
Paul Pogba has made a tremendous start the new Premier League season. Scoring in each of Manchester United’s first two games, his standout performances have drawn the praise of teammate Anthony Martial.
“I would say he [Pogba] is probably the best midfield player in the world,” Martial said. “If he continues to play and improve like he is doing then I think he is also going to win the Ballon d’Or award in the next five years.”
But truly, how realistic is that possibility?
The Ballon d’Or has been monopolized by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for nearly a decade, and has seemingly become a glorified popularity contest rather than a true determination of the best player.
And typically, it’s the forwards who are most known and celebrated.
However, in 2007, Kaka won the Ballon d’Or as an attacking midfielder. And the year prior, Fabio Cannavaro won the sought after award as a defender.
Despite that, with Messi only at age 30, Ronaldo is set to win his fifth this winter. It may be a few more years before anyone else can finally pry the coveted prize away from them.
However, Martial is convinced his fellow compatriot has what it takes to one day reach that stage.
“Paul is very mentally strong and he is very sure of himself. He is a big guy, he is very technical on the ball and he has lots of endurance,” said Martial.
“I would say he is probably the best midfield player in the world. He is still young, too, so he has a lot to work on and he can get even better.”
The young Frenchman, at just the ripe age of 24, has already endured his fair share of personal success. Featuring in the 2015 FIFPro World XI, and reaching both the Champions League and EURO 2016 finals.
Pogba certainly possesses the assets — the strength, build, speed, passing, shooting, and flair — to win the Ballon d’Or.
The one-time world’s most expensive player has been scrutinized and examined since his return to Old Trafford last summer. He’s been criticized for not doing enough in the big games — which is fair.
Yet, despite these criticisms, few can argue that Pogba isn’t world class on his day. And those days are coming around more frequently with the arrival of Nemanja Matic.
He won’t ever score the most goals, but where Pogba can set himself apart from the pack is being the driving force behind both his club and country’s success.
And that success is exactly what Martial is expecting.
“We want to win a lot of trophies together at United, and we also want to win the World Cup with France,” he said to United’ official site.
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Recent history suggests that the Champion League plays a huge role in determining the Ballon d’Or winner. Success with United in that, and success with France in the World Cup next summer could easily have Pogba on pace to win the most coveted individual award in world football.