Samir Nasri makes sensational statement regarding Ballon d'Or results

Serious controversy has erupted in the football world following the prestigious Ballon d'Or award ceremony held in London on October 26. Former Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri harshly criticized the poll results and expressed his objection to Lionel Messi taking 5th place.

The former French footballer openly stated that he would not include the 8-time Ballon d'Or winner in the world's top ten players, let alone the top five.

"Are you serious?": Samir Nasri's sharp remarks

In an interview with The Touchline, the former midfielder explained his position as follows:

• Outside the top ten: "Are you serious? Neither Messi nor Rodri make my top ten! Even when Messi was a world champion, my opinion wouldn't have changed," said Nasri, expressing skepticism about the evaluation criteria in the poll;

• Criticism of candidates: The French star emphasized that objectivity is disappearing in the awarding of individual honors in modern football, and that the shadows of certain names are blocking other deserving players;

• Holder of a historical record: For context, Lionel Messi has set an absolute record by winning this award 8 times in his career and was also the Ballon d'Or winner in 2023.

Awarding in London: Kane's triumph and the new generation

Several other unexpected results were recorded at the ceremony in London:

• Harry Kane at the top: Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane had a fantastic season and was deemed worthy of the top award as the world's best footballer for the first time in his career;

• Top three leaders: While Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé took second place, Barcelona's young prodigy Lamine Yamal took the third step on the podium;

• Messi's fifth place: Lionel Messi, who plays for the US club Inter Miami, taking a spot in the top five is causing various conflicting views among football experts and former players.

This sharp statement by Samir Nasri has caused a major stir in sports publications and social networks, once again bringing the issue of the fairness of the Ballon d'Or voting system to the agenda.