Xavi believes Casillas did not vote for him in the Ballon d'Or nominations due to political reasons
Spain and Barcelona midfield maestro Xavi Hernandez believes that Iker Casillas did not vote for him in the 2011 Ballon d'Or due to political reasons.
The Spanish international was shortlisted as one of the top players of the last season, making him a contender to win the prestigious award this year.
Xavi has acted as the backbone for the Barcelona midfield and has played a pivotal role in the success that the current Champions League title holders have achieved.
However, Xavi was unable to receive a vote from his national side teammate, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Iker-Casillas-c16815. The Madridista was a part of the jury for this year’s Ballon d'Or, and his vote may have proved valuable for Xavi.
Instead of voting for Xavi, the Spanish national captain decided best to vote for his Real Madrid team mates, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Ozil, along with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.
Xavi, however, is still one of the three players shortlisted as nominees to win the coveted award. The other two shortlisted players are Xavi’s Barcelona teammate http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Cristiano-Ronaldo-c9629.
The Spanish international has voiced his opinion stating that a vote by Casillas may have raised a few eyebrows, as both players represent http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Spain-c3011 internationally.
While talking to Sport, Xavi stated:
"I believe Iker's decision was a political one. There are 23 of us in the national side and it would have looked bad had he picked only one."
Furthermore, Xavi exclaimed that to be one of the three players shortlisted to win the award was still a huge honour for him. He expressed that he was ecstatic to be considered one of the top players in the world and that even to be nominated was a great
achievement for him.
"I'm very pleased and happy to be nominated. It gives me great pride. I'm not losing any sleep that I'll end my career without ever having won this award, despite being nominated in more than one occasion. I'm just proud to be there. It will always stay
with me, and is something I'd never dreamed of as a child. Back then, my goal was to make my way in football, play for Barça, and play international football,” he added, while talking to Sport.
Lionel Messi was the winner of the Ballon d'Or last time around, and fans are eager to find out whether this time would be different.
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