Arsène Wenger says he would refuse to vote in the Ballon d’Or as he disagrees fundamentally with the premise of the award. Cristiano Ronaldo has been in the headlines this week after he was crowned as the world’s best player for the second year in succession. The Real Madrid forward beat his great rival, Lionel Messi of Barcelona, to the prize.
Wenger, though, has given short shrift to the honour. The Arsenal manager is not allowed to vote as only national team managers have the right, together with national team captains and selected journalists. But he said that he would not want to.
“I would not vote for any Ballon d’Or,” Wenger said. “I’m totally against it. I’m a team lover and a specialist of somebody who loves team work. I’m completely against it. I would not vote for anybody.”
Wenger is preparing for Sunday’s Premier League visit to Manchester City but he took a moment to reflect on the injury misfortune that the defender, Mathieu Debuchy, has suffered.
He is out for three months after he dislocated his shoulder in last Sunday’s home win over Stoke City and Wenger expressed his frustration at how Marko Arnautovic had caused the damage. The Stoke forward pushed Debuchy into the advertising hoardings.
“The push was not needed,” Wenger said. “I watched it again and in that situation, Debuchy was a bit unlucky as well because there is a little slope just after the touchline and maybe that made it worse.
“I just think that Arnautovic had no chance to get the ball. I don’t think it was malicious but it was not needed. These subjects are always very sensitive because I don’t really know what his intention was. It is difficult. It is not obvious. I don’t think he wanted to hurt him but it was not needed.”
Debuchy has already endured one three-month lay-off after ankle ligament surgery in September. “He is destroyed, because he is such a keen player, so professional, so willing,” Wenger said. “It is his first year here and, of course, he is embarrassed. But it is not his fault.”
Wenger, who confirmed the signing of the 17-year-old midfielder Krystian Bielik from Legia Warsaw, reported that Danny Welbeck was still two more weeks from fitness because of thigh trouble while Kieran Gibbs faces a late test on his achilles for the City game.
Arsenal lost 6-3 at the Etihad last season, which was one of a clutch of damaging away defeats. “Last year, we did not win the championship only for that reason [the away losses],” Wenger said. “We did not perform in the top away games. I believe we have the potential now to be much more stable and to show that we can do it.”