Granero: Ballon d'Or should go to Real

Posted Sunday, July 22, 2012 by ESPN

Real Madrid's Esteban Granero has stated that the Ballon d'Or, football's highest individual accolade, should go to a member from last season's La Liga-winning side.

Traditionally, the Ballon d'Or has been awarded to players that have shone on the highest stage with the Champions League as well as the European Championships being tournaments of strategic importance.

The award, even in its former guise, used to be consistently given to players who had been victorious in the Champions League as the likes of Lionel Messi, Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo were presented with the accolade a few months after their teams were successful in the continental competition.

But in the current year, it's uncertain if anyone from the victorious Chelsea squad will be considered as the players had a poor domestic season as the Blues only managed to a sixth-placed finish in the Barclays Premier League. In contrast, Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona's Lionel Messi scored 96 goals between them in the La Liga in the preceding term and are considered by many as being favourites for the award.

Granero believes that a player from the record-breaking Real side - they scored an astonishing 100 points on their way to sealing the league title - should get the nod for the award. Real captain Iker Casillas is also being mooted by many as a potential winner as he recently led the national squad to their third consecutive international title in Euro 2012.

"The title we achieved will be [hard to beat] for a long time. We made a record of almost insurmountable points and goals," Granero was quoted as saying in a press conference on Saturday.

"Real Madrid is the team to beat and will be for many years. Last season was flawless. Real Madrid were far superior to the others breaking all records.

"I just hope that the Ballon D'Or [would be] for one of our players."

On a personal level, Granero did not have the best of seasons as he only managed to make 28 La Liga appearances. But with the recent departures of Fernando Gago and Hamit Altintop as well as the contract termination of Royston Drenthe, the ex-Getafe player could get more first team action in the coming season and he remains optimistic that he will secure a key role in the squad if he continues to train hard and impress coach Jose Mourinho.

"I want to continue growing and to establish myself in the team," he said.
"I have not thought about leaving and I have not thought about just continuing with the same role within squad. I want to play a more key role, as do all footballers.

"That is why I train and that is what I am going to try to achieve. I have high hopes of creating a spot for myself and being an important part of the team."
"I face the season with many enthusiasm, eager to learn."

Granero is currently training with the side and preparing for Real's upcoming two-legged Super Cup clash against Barcelona next month.

The two Spanish giants also contributed a total of 13 players for the country's successful defence of their European title with Barcelona's Andres Iniesta winning the Player of the Tournament award.

Real's Xabi Alonso and Barca's Xavi were also particularly impressive as they bossed the Spanish midfield and, alongside Sergio Busquets, made more than 500 passes in the six games that they were involved in.

The award is usually presented in the second week of January and is based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams, as well as journalists from around the world.