Neymar wasn’t a fan of Vinicius Junior’s ranking among the world’s best players at the Ballon d’Or awards.
The Paris Saint-Germain star agreed that Karim Benzema deserved to be ranked first and win the prestigious Ballon d’Or award at Monday’s ceremony, but he felt his Brazil teammate should’ve landed higher than eighth.
“… Finishing eighth is not right. At the very least, he is among the top three,” Neymar said on Twitter, as translated by ESPN’s Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens.
Benzema merecido ???? craque!! Agora o Vini jr estar em 8 não dá ???? Mínimo entre os 3
— Neymar Jr (@neymarjr) October 18, 2022
Kevin De Bruyne and Sadio Mane finished second and third, respectively, to complete the top three behind Benzema. PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe was ranked sixth.
Meanwhile, Neymar was not named among the top 30 players in the world, according to votes collected by the French news magazine France Football. He ranked 16th last season.
Vinicius’ eighth-place ranking, however, is a massive improvement a year after he failed to crack the top 30 himself at the 2021 Ballon d’Or award ceremony.
The 22-year-old’s jump up the rankings comes in recognition of a breakout season, putting up 22 goals and 20 assists in all competitions.
Vinicius was also pivotal in helping Real Madrid capture a record 14th Champions League title, scoring the winning goal in last season’s final against Liverpool.
FRISCO, Texas — It’s an easy question without an easy answer.
What changes about the Dallas Cowboys’ offense in Dak Prescott’s return from a fractured right thumb, potentially as early as Sunday against the Detroit Lions (1 p.m. ET, CBS)?
Nothing and everything.
Nothing changes, because how the Cowboys (4-2) played in their five games with quarterback Cooper Rush starting in place of Prescott is how they designed their offense in the offseason. When the team traded wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns and did not replace him with a proven veteran or high draft pick, the plan was to be a run-first operation and play to the defensive strength of the team.
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Everything changes, because Prescott can do more than Rush. Despite the calls from certain segments of the fan base or national media types wishing for drama, there was no quarterback controversy and there never was going to be. Even owner and general manager Jerry Jones’ comments that he hoped there would be a controversy were about the team winning games without Prescott.
This was not 2016, when Prescott took over for an injured Tony Romo. After losing the opener, the Cowboys won 11 straight games that season. They failed only once to score at least 24 points during that winning streak.
Under Rush, the Cowboys topped 24 points only once, scoring 25 against the Washington Commanders.
While the Cowboys did not feel handcuffed offensively with Rush as their quarterback, Prescott’s ability and experience opens up more possibilities. However, the Cowboys don’t want Prescott to feel like he’s returning as the conquering hero, needing to do everything for the team to succeed.
All signs point to Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott returning Sunday from a five-game absence due to a fractured right thumb. Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire
When Prescott has been at his best, the Cowboys have had a complementary bent, even when he threw for 4,900 yards in 2019 and set a franchise record with 37 touchdown passes last season.
“I just think Dak needs to play his game — if he goes this week,” McCarthy said.
Karim Benzema crowned the best season of his career by winning the Ballon d’Or on Monday, becoming the first Frenchman to claim football’s top individual honor since Zinedine Zidane in 1998.
With an astounding 44 goals in 46 appearances, Benzema helped Real Madrid win La Liga by 13 points and the Champions League for a record-extending 14th time. He also re-established himself as one of France’s key players ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
Benzema succeeds Lionel Messi, who won the award last season for the seventh time.
1998 Ballon d’Or ? 2022 Ballon d’Or
24 years after Zinédine Zidane… Karim Benzema! ?” pic.twitter.com/b1iWIKW1Am
— Ballon d’Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022
“Seeing this award in front of me makes me really proud of the work I’ve done,” Benzema told the adoring audience at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. “It was a childhood dream … I had two role models, (Zinedine) Zidane and Ronaldo, and I always had this dream in my mind that anything is possible.”
Benzema, one of the most decorated players of his generation, saved his best performances for the Champions League, scoring 15 goals, including hat-tricks against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea in back-to-back knockout ties.
The 34-year-old is just the fourth different player to win the Ballon d’Or since 2008. Teammate Luka Modric – who took home the trophy in 2018 after leading Croatia to the World Cup final – is the only other player to break Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s hold on the prestigious honor.
Ronaldo ended up in 20th – the lowest he’s ranked since 2005 – while Messi missed the shortlist altogether.
France Football’s voters – a cast including journalists from FIFA’s top 100 nations – now recognize a player’s accomplishments over the preceding European season. Previously, voters took into account each nominee’s performances over the last calendar year.
2022 Men’s Ballon d’Or rankings
Sadio Mane, who finished as runner-up in the Champions League final with Liverpool, placed second in Ballon d’Or voting. Kevin De Bruyne, a key member of Manchester City’s Premier League-winning side, came third. Robert Lewandowski, who famously missed out on the award in 2020 and 2021, finished fourth.
Benzema waited years for his moment in the spotlight. The striker joined Madrid as a promising 22-year-old from Lyon in 2009, arriving at the same time as Ronaldo, and largely played in the shadow of the Portuguese superstar in the years that followed. Benzema helped Ronaldo win the Ballon d’Or four times during their time together in the Spanish capital, serving as a provider rather than goalscorer while pulling defenders away from his teammate.
Ronaldo’s exit in 2018 allowed Benzema to take ownership of the team. With youngsters Federico Valverde, Vinicius Junior, and Rodrygo by his side, Benzema finally became the focal point of Madrid’s attack. His scoring record increased year after year, culminating in last season’s career haul.
Before Ronaldo left Madrid, Benzema never ranked higher than 16th in Ballon d’Or voting. On Monday, everyone expected him to win.
It was a humiliating night for Juventus as Group H minnows Maccabi Haifa claimed a memorable 2-0 win in Tuesday’s Champions League encounter.
Omer Atzili pulled the hosts ahead seven minutes into the contest and then recorded his second with a thunderous strike into the top corner to double Maccabi Haifa’s lead minutes before the interval.
(Available to view in U.S. only)
OMER ATZILI DOES IT AGAIN ?
MACCABI HAIFA DOUBLE THEIR LEAD OVER JUVENTUS ? pic.twitter.com/CtKDWn03zC
— CBS Sports Golazo ?? (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 11, 2022
(Available to view in Canada only)
OMER ATZILI GETS HIS BRACE AND IT’S 2-0 TO MACCABI HAIFA OVER JUVENTUS! ? #UCL pic.twitter.com/sQ82OnunQv
— DAZN Canada (@DAZN_CA) October 11, 2022
Juventus rarely threatened in the second half en route to another damaging defeat.
