Cesc Fabregas changed his mind on who should win the Ballon d'Or this season after the Champions League final, suggesting Thibaut Courtois would be handed the crown - but his prediction was wide of the mark.
The Belgian shot-stopper finished seventh in the individual rankings behind the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, Kylian Mbappe and winner Karim Benzema – his Real Madrid teammate, who claimed his maiden crown.
Courtois, a former Chelsea teammate of Fabregas, was left fuming after the event, hinting that a goalkeeper could not win the accolade. The shot-stopper was the man of the match in the Champions League final, as he kept a clean sheet in the win over Liverpool – making a string of world-class saves.
Ahead of the match in Paris in May, former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Fabregas named three players he expected to be in the mix for the Ballon d'Or. He tweeted: "Not a big fan of individual trophies like that but surely the Ballon d'Or could/should be decided tonight? [Sadio] Mane? Salah? Benzema?"
However, after the match Fabregas revised his opinion, claiming Courtois' performance in the showpiece event should have been sufficient for the Belgian to clinch the crown, in what was the cherry on the cake of a fine campaign: "I would add and most probably give it to Courtois. Insane season," he said.
Courtois took home the Lev Yashin Trophy on Monday night – the award for the best goalkeeper in the world for the previous season. However, he was one of just two goalkeepers on the Ballon d'Or shortlist alongside Mike Maignan of Milan – who ranked joined 25th.
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"I see the Ballon d'Or as impossible to win. You win La Liga and you win the Champions League, your team wins thanks to your saves... and you only finish 7th. At least they created the trophy for best goalkeeper," said Courtois.
The Belgian's frustrations were echoed by Iker Casillas, himself a legendary goalkeeper with Los Blancos, who questioned what a No 1 must do to receive a higher ranking. He said on social media: "With a huge difference, the best goalkeeper in the world. What I'm not happy about is that he was not included in the final podium for the Ballon d'Or. I still don't understand what those who choose this award are based on."
The great Lev Yashin was the last shot-stopper who won the Ballon d'Or award, all the way back in 1963. Oliver Kahn and Gianluigi Buffon both reached the podium this century while Manuel Neuer is arguably the unluckiest goalkeeper to miss out over recent years. Individual awards have become dominated by attacking midfielders and forwards in recent decades.
