Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has shared his thoughts on why Xavi and Andres Iniesta never won the Ballon d’Or during their careers.
According to Guardiola, it was due to the dominance of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who won multiple Ballon d’Or titles during that period.
Xavi and Iniesta, regarded as two of the best midfielders of their generation, achieved remarkable success at both club and international levels. The former Barcelona stars won two European Championships and the FIFA World Cup with Spain, in addition to multiple titles with Barcelona, including two continental trebles.
Get Instantly Update By: Joining Our Whatapps and Telegram Channel
However, due to the Ballon d’Or rivalry between Ronaldo and Messi, Xavi and Iniesta never claimed the award themselves.
Ahead of Manchester City’s EFL Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur, Guardiola commented, “Cristiano was a monster, and the father of the monster is Messi. Both achieved something incredible over the last 15 or 20 years. Maybe, in that moment, Xavi and Iniesta deserved the Ballon d’Or as well…
“But the era of Cristiano and Messi was unbelievable, and they deserved it. Now it’s another era, where everyone has a chance to win the Ballon d’Or, and opinions are open.”