Evidence Modric or "injustice with Messi"? Monday's award of Real Madrid's Golden Ball to Croatia has divided the Spanish press, logically split between satisfied Madrid and Barcelona newspapers disappointed by the absence on the podium of the five-time Argentinean FC Barcelona winner who finished 5th.
For Madagascan daily Marca, it is "the golden year of Luka" Modric was awarded in Paris, garnering the majority of votes in the poll organized by the weekly France Football, creator of the most prestigious individual prize of the round ball .
Madrid is jubilant
The newspaper reports that the World Cup finalist won "his 4th Champions League and all individual awards (of the year), including the World's Best Player , " and insists on a "career that no one imagined take such a dimension .
"Modric, white gold" , title of his AS side, the generalist El Mundo putting forward the "Musketeer Modric" , while El Pais says that the Croatian "opens another era" after ten years of Ronaldo hegemony Messi.
Barcelona defends its icon
The ranking of Messi, precisely, makes cringe in Catalonia. The local press, which prefers to make headlines on the death of former Barcelona president Josep Lluis Núñez, is protesting an "injustice" . The daily Sport despairs that the Argentine, "who aspires to have the right to be considered the best player in history, can spend three years without lifting the trophy," after the two crowned Cristiano Ronaldo in 2016 and 2017.
Catalan Mundo Deportivo abounds: this 4th place has "surprised many players in the world of football that do not understand the ranking of the player blaugrana, the best in history for a majority of footballers . "