🚨🗣️ Gary Neville questions the Ballon d’Or organisers for naming Luis de la Fuente Men’s Coach of the Year over Luis Enrique and Mikel Arteta. “How do you overlook Luis Enrique, who won Ligue 1 and the Champions League back to back after managing 56 games and Mikel Arteta, who managed 63 games, won the Premier League, arguably the most competitive league in the world and reached the UCL final, in favour of a coach whose achievements came in a seven game international tournament? Club managers spend an entire season developing these players, only for national team coaches to benefit from that work and receive the individual recognition. When will club managers get the credit they deserve? This decision raises serious questions about the criteria behind these awards.” #BallonDor2026 #BallonDor

🗣️ Petr Čech on the Ballon d’Or organisers naming Unai Simón Goalkeeper of the Year over David Raya: “I honestly can't believe what the Ballon d'Or has become. Is this a football awards ceremony or a FIFA World Cup winners' celebration? Are we really judging an entire season by a seven-game tournament? It's embarrassing. David Raya has won THREE consecutive Premier League Golden Gloves, kept 19 clean sheets in the league and nine more in the Champions League. Yet somehow, that's not enough to make him the best goalkeeper of the year? Unai Simón deserves credit for his World Cup performances, but individual awards should recognise consistency across an entire season, not just international tournament success. Raya has proved himself week after week at the highest level. If we're going to ignore that kind of consistency because another goalkeeper won the World Cup, then what exactly are these awards meant to recognise? The Ballon d'Or organisers need to explain their criteria because decisions like this make a mockery of the entire process. #BallonDor