Regarding the 2022 Ballon d'Or

Why is this happening, and when will things finally calm down?

First of all, from the "slight sadness" on the face of Tien Linh, who only won the Silver Ball, people immediately tried to prove that the Binh Duong player's achievement was more outstanding and significant than that of Van Quyet, who was honored with the Golden Ball for the second time (the first time was in the 2020 season).

From this perspective, considering his contributions to the club, Van Quyet deserves the award more, having won the national championship, national cup, and national super cup with Hanoi FC, and being named the best player in the V-League. Meanwhile, Tien Linh and his teammates failed to help Binh Duong finish in the top 3 (only achieving 7th place), so from this point of view, the Binh Duong striker's achievements can hardly be compared to his... competitor.

Van Quyet won the Vietnamese Golden Ball award for the second time in 2020 and 2022. Photo: Zing.vn

However, in terms of contributions to the Vietnamese national team and the U23 Vietnamese team, Van Quyet cannot be compared to Tien Linh, who became the top scorer of the AFF Cup 2022 (6 goals), made outstanding contributions when participating in the U23+3 team that won the Gold Medal at the SEA Games 31, and was included in the shortlist for the Asian Golden Ball award…Vietnam national teamDuring Park Hang-seo's time, Van Quyet was just a reserve striker and didn't make any significant contributions.

Those who favor Tiến Linh's contribution to the "searching for" Văn Quyết's contribution to Hanoi FC argue that Văn Quyết's goals were only scored against weaker teams, and that the team still performed well in the final matches without Văn Quyết, proving his interchangeable role, even after Quang Hải's absence. They even go further, saying this selection is no different from the "honoring a retiring player" phenomenon from the past.

So, who will win now, when the criteria for selecting the Vietnamese Golden Ball fail to act as a "referee" in a selection process where subjective factors are unavoidable? The reality is that not every season has the same criteria and criteria; some seasons players only participate in domestic leagues, while others compete in both domestic and international competitions, contributing to both. It's never easy, as in the cases of both Van Quyet and Tien Linh.

Tien Linh came very close to winning the Vietnamese Golden Ball but couldn't beat Van Quyet in terms of votes. Photo: Zing.vn

Therefore, when receiving the ballots, some coaches stated, as a guideline, that they would first choose the best-performing player in the V-League, while also considering their achievements with the national team…and this coach openly declared that he would vote for Van Quyet. Others, however, argued that both factors should be considered simultaneously – contributions to both the club and the national team. Therefore, this award should go to Hoang Duc and Van Lam, given their contributions to Viettel, Binh Dinh, and the national teams, rather than Van Quyet or Tien Linh.

No one denies the achievements of the aforementioned outstanding players, but if an award leaves a "slight sadness" on their bright faces, sparking heated debates, then the next step is to clearly and specifically announce the selection criteria, including all parameters that can be scored and evaluated. Of course, every award will leave behind some undesirable aftereffects, such as the stories surrounding Messi and Ronaldo. But minimizing these regrettable incidents should be an inevitable and natural process, a necessary cultural norm, so that awards ceremonies truly bring meaningful results, sweet moments, and no trace of sadness.