How do Barstow students feel about the chaotic world of professional soccer?

The Ballon d’Or, or Golden Ball award, is commonly described as soccer’s greatest honor. The award is given to the player who has demonstrated the best talent, abilities, and performances in the last 12 months, at both the club and international level. 

This year’s recipients will be announced on October 30th at the Théâtre du Châtelet by the French Football Magazine. The magazine recently announced the nominations shortlist (full list provided at the end of this article). 

Barstow takes pride in soccer at a higher level than other schools in the KC Metro. This phenomenon is partly due to our lack of a football team, causing soccer to be the main team sport.

Another factor was the 2022 World Cup, which occurred during the school year in December. Watching the World Cup matches in school was heavily frowned upon by some teachers, but the national pride, love for the game, and excitement around the tournament was infectious. 

Due to this buzz, many of Barstow’s students became soccer fans to a greater extent than they previously were, forming fervent opinions at both the club and international level. The Ballon d’Or debate pits these two sides of soccer against one another. 

But what does Barstow’s soccer-crazy student body have to say about the nominations, the front runners, and the soccer world itself? 

Currently, two players are leading the Ballon d’Or race: Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi. 

Erling Haaland is a Norwegian national who currently plays as the striker at Manchester City FC. After breaking the Premier League soccer goal-scoring record in his first-ever season in England, Haaland and Man City went on to win the elusive treble. This distinction denotes a club’s victory in three separate competitions: their league cup, the Champions League, and a domestic cup. In City’s case, the star-studded team and their manager, Pep Guardiola, won the Premier League, the Champions League, and the FA Cup, completing the treble.

Breaking the Premier League goalscoring record is an incredibly impressive feat. With 36 goals in the league and 52 goals in all competitions, Haaland broke Alan Shearer and Andy Cole’s shared 34-goal record. 

Owen Snyder ‘24, an AFC Bournemouth fan, explains, “As much as I don’t like City, I think Erling Haaland deserves it because he broke records, and he was a goalscorer. That’s what it takes.”

Paranjay Sharma ‘24, a Man City fan, echoes this saying, “It’s pretty close between Haaland and Messi. Messi is my GOAT, but Haaland deserves it. He scored 50 goals last year.”

Plenty of Barstow students, however, dislike Haaland, or at least do not want him to win the award. For example, Alex Norman ‘25, a Chelsea and AC Milan fan, says, “Haaland has accomplished great things in the Prem, but Messi won everything.”

Of course, Lionel Messi has one of the most impressive resumes of all time, decreed commonly as the GOAT of the soccer world. This year, Messi has only added to his trophy cabinet, acquiring his sought-after World Cup for his home country of Argentina. 

According to Pierce Farinelli ‘24, a Tottenham Hotspur fan, the World Cup is “the most important trophy in all of sports.” Messi’s accomplishment is only furthered by the arduous journey of earning this accolade, after the heartbreaking loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup in extra time. 

“Messi should win because he has accomplished football.  There’s nothing else he has to win,” emphasizes Norman.

Farinelli shares his opinion, saying “I think that Messi should win because Messi is the GOAT. He gets his World Cup and he’s better than Haaland, overall.”

Out of the seven members of the Barstow community interviewed, three (Farinelli, Norman, and Profe Marvin) agreed that Messi should win the award, while two (Snyder and Sharma) said that they think Haaland should win. Others (Lawlor and Fanaswala) agreed that Harry Kane, the striker for Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich, should win. 

“Harry Kane should win the Ballon d’Or. I am forever a Harry Kane fan,” exclaims Aidan Lawlor ‘24, a Tottenham Hotspur fan. 

Profe Amanda Marvin, Upper School Spanish teacher and self-proclaimed “Messi/Argentina supporter” says, “I think Messi should win the Ballon d’Or. What he has accomplished both internationally and at the club level has been very impressive. He’s at the top of his game, at the top of international soccer, as a 36-year-old, and is a great leader.”

This idea of club soccer versus international soccer is a question that many have begun to ask with this Ballon d’Or debate. Farinelli exemplifies this dilemma, saying, “Would I take the World Cup over five Champions Leagues? No. But do I still think that the World Cup is the most important trophy in all of sports? Yes.”

Sharma is torn, explaining, “I don’t think club soccer is more important than club soccer, but even though Messi won the World Cup, Haaland’s achievement is a much bigger deal to me.”

For Profe Marvin though, there is no debate: “International soccer means you are playing and cheering for the passion of your country, so that’s just a whole nother level.”

Another thing that Messi has specifically is the level of stardom to which he has ascended. Across the board, the interviewed students called Messi their “GOAT,” exemplifying his groundbreaking and extraordinary career. 

Cristiano Ronaldo is often regarded as Messi’s foil in the world of professional soccer. For the first time since 2011, though, Ronaldo is missing from the Ballon d’Or nominations list. Ronaldo, whose career spanned from Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United to Real Madrid to Juventus to Manchester United again, has just made his latest stop at the Saudi Arabian club, Al-Nassr. 

The lack of Ronaldo marks the end of an age for many, seeing as both Messi and Ronaldo have been at the top of soccer for so long. “It hurts, since I watched them growing up. I’m used to it being Messi vs. Ronaldo at the top, clashing,” explains Farinelli. He continues saying, “We shouldn’t be comparing them, we should be appreciating them for what they’ve given us.”

Lawlor echoes this saying, “I personally am a fan of both. Two legends and GOATs can coexist and we should appreciate their greatness.”

“Cristiano is a great example of hard work and determination,” says Profe Marvin. “People, fans, and sponsors like to pit them [Messi and Ronaldo] against each other, even though they have a great amount of respect for each other. Cristiano, unfortunately, hasn’t accomplished what some of the other people on that list have accomplished in the last 12 months.”

Ronaldo’s new club, Al-Nassr, and the entire Saudi League had drawn quite a few complaints from soccer fans. Backed by Saudi Arabia’s immense financial fund, the league’s monetary power is unrivaled anywhere else in the world.

For example, the Saudi Arabian league had a net spend of almost $950,000,000 dollars in the summer transfer window. This figure is second only to the Premier League (who spent $1,300,000,000). In fact, Saudi’s spending is more than the third, fourth, and fifth highest league net spends, combined. 

Four of the Saudi league’s clubs, Al Nassr, Al Ittihad, Al Ahli, and Al Hilal, are all backed by the PIF, or the sovereign Public Investment Fund. This money, however, is also invested in clubs like Newcastle United (in the Prem) and has expanded past soccer into the golf realm as well. 

High profile transfers other than Ronaldo included Karim Benzema to Al-Ittihad, Neymar to Al-Hilal, Riyad Mahrez to Al-Ahli, and Sadio Mane to Al Nassr. 

Inside Barstow, opinions are mixed between the two sides of Saudi’s newfound power in world football.

“It’s definitely a really powerful force in the soccer world, but it’s not necessarily a good force. It is pulling players out of Europe to a point where Saudi Arabia could gain power internationally, kind of like they did with the PGA tour,” says Snyder. 

Norman advocated for some sort of cap on Saudi spending saying, “I think UEFA needs to put some tap on it. If the players go for the money, then it’ll be like a monopoly, while the rest of football is comparatively minuscule.”

As for the players themselves, Farinelli laments the transfers, saying “The passion for the game isn’t the same in Saudi. Neymar has been chasing money, but he could’ve had so many great years at Barcelona if he stayed.”

For Raj Fanswala ‘24, though, the Saudi league is a welcome addition. “I don’t know why people don’t like the Saudi league. They have money so they can buy people, that’s how club soccer works. That’s what Chelsea did, but they’re English so no one has a problem.”

Sharma echoes this saying, “People like Neymar and Kante are ending their careers. I kind of get that. I get moving to get the money.” He continues by saying, “Soon, Saudi will be the number two league behind the premier league.”

The Saudi league is still relatively unknown in the scope of world football, but it is characterized by older, bigger names in football leaving European clubs to retire. There has been, however, an uptick in younger players leaving the league for exorbitant transfer fees and salaries.

For example, Alexander Mitrovic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and Jota are all players under 30 years of age. Each of these players, and more, left promising European careers behind for the Saudi League. 

Snyder says that the league is complicated, and young players’ decisions are reliant on Europe’s answer to Saudi’s spending. “It will depend on Europe’s reaction to Saudi Arabia gaining power. If players realize that going to Saudi will lessen their power in the football world, they won’t go to Saudi even for money.”

The Saudi league has also drawn comparisons to the 2015-2016 Chinese Super League craze, which drew players into its clutches through monetary promise. 

Fanaswala explains that “The Super League had problems with exploitation. That’s the reason it didn’t take off. The Saudi league is something completely different, it’s not international or anything, just like every other country having a league.”

With the end of the Messi-Ronaldo era, soccer fans are both excited and melancholy with the prospect of professional football. Overwhelmingly, though, fans are happy with the youngsters in both at their clubs and at other places around the world

“For me though, there are a lot of new stars popping up like Jude Bellingham, Erling Haaland, young Barca and Real Madrid players. There will be more good players that will be fun to watch in the future,” says Snyder. 

Lawlor exemplifies this hope, saying “The overall skill, hype, and talents in soccer is at an all-time high. The golden age of soccer has just begun.”

The full list of Ballon d’Or nominations: 

André Onana – Inter-Manchester United/Cameroon

Josko Gvardiol – RB Lipsia-Manchester City/Croatia

Karim Benzema – Real-Madrid-Al Ittihad

Jamal Musiala – Bayern Munich/Germany

Mohamed Salah – Liverpool/Egypt

Jude Bellingham – Borussia Dortmund-Real Madrid/England

Bukayo Saka – Arsenal/England

Randal Kolo Muani – Eintracht Frankfurt-Paris Saint-Germain/France

Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City/Belgium

Bernardo Silva – Manchester City/Portugal

Emiliano Martínez – Aston Villa/Argentina

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – Napoli/Georgia

Rúben Dias – Manchester City/Portugal

Nicolo Barella – Inter Milan/Italy

Erling Haaland – Manchester City/Norway

Yassine Bounou – Sevilla-Al Hilal/Morocco

Martin Ødegaard – Arsenal/Norway

Julián Álvarez – Manchester City/Argentina

Ilkay Gündogan – Barcelona/Germany

Vinícius Júnior – Real Madrid/Brazil

Lionel Messi – Paris Saint-Germain-Inter Miami/Argentina

Rodri – Manchester City/Spain

Lautaro Martínez – Inter Milan/Argentina

Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid/France

Robert Lewandowski – Barcelona/Poland

Kylian Mbappé – Paris Saint-Germain/France

Kim Min-jae – Napoli-Bayern Munich/South Korea

Victor Osimhen – Napoli/Nigeria

Luka Modric – Real Madrid/Croatia

Harry Kane – Tottenham-Bayern Munich/England