The 2016 Ballon d'Or is Announced, Cristiano Ronaldo Edges Out Lionel Messi for the Crown! Tang Long Attends the Award Ceremony!
Diletta has been incredibly busy lately, working non-stop.
Having just hosted the draw for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, she was immediately put to host the Ballon d'Or' Or awards ceremony.
Several months ago, France Football announced its shortlist of 30 candidates for the Ballon d'Or.
These 30 players are the best in world football in 2016. Each of them has had a brilliant performance for their respective teams and is an absolute protagonist under the spotlight.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Griezmann, Suarez, Tang Long
Bale, Mahrez, Varti, Pepe, Neymar
Aubameyang, Patricio, Ibrahimovic, Vidal, Pogba
Lewandowski, Payet, Modric, Kroos, Aguero
De Bruyne, Dybala, Godin, Higuain, Iniesta
Koklori Mullernoir Ramos
The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual honor in football today.
The player who wins this award must be the best player of the year, reaching the pinnacle of both team and individual honors.
From 2008, when Cristiano Ronaldo won his first Ballon d'Or, until 2015, seven years later, the Ballon d'Or d'Or was dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who were known as the two greatest players in football.
However, due to Cristiano Ronaldo's outstanding performance for the Portugal national team this season, which led to Portugal winning the UEFA European Championship for the first time in its history, there is a very high demand for Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d'Or!
As for Tang Long, people made predictions about his ranking before the awards ceremony.
Looking at Tang Long's performance throughout 2016, he and Manchester City won the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup titles, and reached the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.
In all competitions last season, he scored 23 goals and provided 31 assists.
He was not only selected for the Premier League Team of the Season, but also for UEFA's official Team of the Season.
Although his statistics don't match those of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, Tang Long's performance at the start of this season has been truly impressive, making him the first player in Top Five Leagues to score 20 league goals.
In the UEFA Champions League, he also equaled Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 11 goals in the group stage.
Therefore, the media predicts that even if Tang Long doesn't win the Ballon d'Or, his ranking will not be low!
"Cherish this opportunity. Whether you win the Ballon d'Or d'Or or not, being selected for the final 30-man squad is the highest honor. I've played football my whole life and have never been nominated before."
Before Tang Long flew to Paris, Chivu patted him on the shoulder, his eyes full of admiration.
Manchester United's newly appointed CEO, Berrada, also attaches great importance to this opportunity to make an appearance.
Manchester City have two players shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or: Tang Long and Agüero.
Tang Long needs no introduction, Agüero's performance last season was also outstanding, surpassing Icardi to win the Premier League Golden Boot.
"Winning the Ballon d'Or' Or will be a long road for our Manchester City club, but I believe it won't be too far!" Berrada thought to himself.
The Ballon d'Or Awards ceremony was ablaze with lights and packed to capacity.
Football legends, superstars, and celebrities from all over the world gathered to witness this most important moment of the year in football.
The 30 nominated players, dressed in their finest attire, were either chatting and laughing or looking nervous, each harboring a deep desire for the Ballon d'Or.
Among the many candidate players, Tang Long's appearance is particularly eye-catching.
He is a China player who has been shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or for the first time, and he is also the only player from Asia in the venue.
Although this was his first time standing on such a grand stage, his eyes revealed confidence and composure.
Tang Long understood that he was unlikely to win the Ballon d'Or this year, but next year was a different story.
The host, Diletta, walked gracefully onto the stage in an elegant black dress, the lights shining on her and drawing everyone's attention.
Sitting in the audience, Tang Long and she exchanged a glance. Diletta winked at her, then looked away and began, "Welcome everyone to the 2016 France Football Ballon d'Or awards ceremony..."
The big screen began showing highlights of the candidate players' performances over the past year.
Cristiano Ronaldo's crucial goal in the UEFA European Championship, Lionel Messi's exquisite dribbling in La Liga, Griezmann's highlight moments at his club... every scene drew gasps of amazement from the audience.
Tang Long, the only Asia player selected for the list, had a highlight reel length comparable to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. His midfield lob shot and his one-on-one goal after dribbling past five players caused quite a stir in the stadium.
When footage of Tang Long was played, the camera intentionally or unintentionally focused on Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo respectively.
Lionel Messi, chin in hand, watched Tang Long's performance on the pitch, lost in thought, seemingly pondering something.
Cristiano Ronaldo was also looking at the screen, his expression solemn yet with a slight smile, revealing his confidence.
Finally, the most exciting part of the event—the announcement of the Ballon d'Or —arrived.
Diletta held the envelope containing the final results in her hand. She paused deliberately, looked around the room, and found it so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the envelope in Diletta's hand.
The player who won this year's Ballon d'Or is...
Diletta drew out his words, and the atmosphere reached its peak, as if everyone was frozen in that moment.
Cristiano Ronaldo!
"Congratulations!"
The moment Diletta called out the name, the hall erupted in applause!
Cristiano Ronaldo stood up, buttoned up the bottom of his suit jacket, and smiled confidently and excitedly. He hugged his teammates and friends one by one before walking steadily onto the stage.
As he passed by Tang Long smiled and said, "Congratulations, Cristiano!"
Cristiano Ronaldo was taken aback for a moment, then grasped Tang Long's hand and softly said thank you.
Sitting not far away, Lionel Messi looked at Cristiano Ronaldo and Tang Long, nodded slightly, and remained silent, but thought to himself, "At least for the next five years, the Ballon d'Or will no longer be a contest between me and Cristiano Ronaldo; Tang will definitely be involved as well."
Tang Long sat in the audience, with Manchester City CEO Berrada to his left and his teammate Agüero to his right.
Seeing Cristiano Ronaldo standing confidently on stage accepting the Ballon d'Or and giving his acceptance speech, Agüero remarked:
"Sigh, when will I ever win a Ballon d'Or? But I'm already 28, I'm afraid I'll never have the chance."
At this point, Agüero paused and said to Tang Long, "Compared to Cristiano Ronaldo, I still hope my Argentina compatriot Lionel Messi can win the award."
CEO Berrada, standing nearby, asked him with a smile, "Sergio, if either Lionel Messi or Don wins the Ballon d'Or, who will you support?"
Agüero answered without hesitation, "Of course I'll support Don! After all, he's my brother who fights alongside me every day. What do you say, Don?"
Tang Long smiled and said to Agüero, "Then you'd better hurry up and snatch the captaincy of the Argentina national team, and remember to vote for me next year."
Agüero laughed loudly, "Then I'll have to go back and discuss it with Lionel Messi to see if he's willing to give me the captaincy."
It's already December 2016, and the year is quickly coming to an end.
Next year is 2017, which is the second half of the 2016-2017 season.
Tang Long knew very well that whether he could win the Ballon d'Or' Or next year depended on whether he could lead Manchester City to a satisfactory result on all three fronts, especially the UEFA Champions League!