Lothar Matthäus, the last legendary libero, shares his view on why the Ballon d'Or is almost exclusively awarded to attacking players—and why this may be unfair to defensive players.
Thairath Sport had the special opportunity to interview Lothar Matthäus, the last legendary libero known as "Mr. Perfect," who won the Ballon d'Or once in 1990, and is a legend for both the German national team and Bayern Munich.
Historically, Ballon d'Or winners have mostly been attacking players, with defenders rarely receiving the award. Since 2006, only Fabio Cannavaro, a defender, has won the Ballon d'Or.
2006 Fabio Cannavaro Real Madrid
2007 Ricardo Kaká AC Milan
2008 Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United
2009 Lionel Messi Barcelona
2010 Lionel Messi Barcelona
2011 Lionel Messi Barcelona
2012 Lionel Messi Barcelona
2013 Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid
2014 Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid
2015 Lionel Messi Barcelona
2016 Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid
2017 Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid
2018 Luka Modrić Real Madrid
2019 Lionel Messi Barcelona
2020 Award suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Lionel Messi Paris Saint-Germain
2022 Karim Benzema Real Madrid
2023 Lionel Messi Inter Miami
2024 Rodri Manchester City
2025 Ousmane Dembélé Paris Saint-Germain
2026 Harry Kane Tottenham Hotspur
Thairath reporters asked, "Nowadays, the world tends to value attacking players more. As a former libero, what would you like to say to defensive players?"
Lothar Matthäus said, "I think the last defensive player to win the Ballon d'Or was probably in 2006—Fabio Cannavaro. At that time, he played in Italy, and his national team won the 2006 World Cup. We can confidently say they had the best defense, which led them to the world championship, with Cannavaro as captain."
"If you study Italian football, the first thing you learn is about defense. In contrast, Barcelona emphasizes attacking play. But in Italy, defense comes first. That's what I learned during my time there. Of course, the role and importance of defenders are no different from Harry Kane's role at Bayern Munich—it's just that defenders don't score goals."
"At most, defenders might come forward to score from corners or provide two or three assists, but not much more. So what is the highlight? What do we focus on and remember? Yes, it might seem unfair, but what we watch for and remember is 'scoring goals.' Think back to the World Cup 20 years ago—the memorable moment is Ronaldo R9's goal past Oliver Kahn in 2002's final."
"No one remembers the defense. If you ask me what defensive plays from 2002 I recall, or how good Brazil's defense was, or who played defense for Germany, I wouldn't be able to say. We'd have to check the records. We only remember that Kahn was the goalkeeper and Ronaldo scored twice. Going back even further to 1998, we talk about Zinedine Zidane, not defenders from 20 or 30 years ago. We remember the goals."
"Because of this, I see that while it may seem unfair, it is simply the nature of football. I don't want to change the rules. Perhaps we could create separate Ballon d'Or awards: best defender, best midfielder, best forward."
"Sure, defenders might not like this idea, and midfielders might be somewhat less unhappy, but we have to respect coaches' decisions about who the most important and best players are. That usually means 'the goal scorers' have the advantage because goals decide matches, create differences, and determine winners and trophy recipients. So, I don't want to argue about this anymore because it goes in circles. I can't change it, nor do I want to. But honestly, I just want defenders to receive equal recognition in this competition because when a defender performs excellently and helps the team keep clean sheets, they fulfill an important role just like Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé, or Lamine Yamal do. Their role is equally important, though it might not be as flashy."