Milan defender Simon Kjaer ranked 18th at the Ballon d’Or and people complaining about it on social media have a short memory, writes Lorenzo Bettoni.
Less than six months ago, there wasn’t one single person on earth that would have disagreed about having Kjaer in the top 10 for the Ballon d’Or. Perhaps, somebody would have even given him the award for an achievement that went beyond goals and trophies.
In June, Kjaer saved Christian Eriksen’s life during Denmark’s opening UEFA Euro 2020 clash against Finland.
The Inter star collapsed after suffering a heart attack on the pitch and Kjaer was the first one to notice it and give him life-saving aid.
He was a hero, nothing less than that. And everybody recognised it.
However, today social media offered an example of how quickly people can forget.
Kjaer was ranked 18th at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, which is taking place as you read in Paris.
He finished ahead of players such as Mason Mount, Riyad Mahrez, but also Ruben Dias and Luka Modric.
Quite incredibly, many are complaining about Kjaer’s ranking, even joking about the mere fact that the Dane had been included in the 30-man shortlist. The name of the Milan defender is trending in the UK, with over 15,000 messages mentioning him.
Safe to say, some of those people take football way too seriously.
Kjaer may not have had a better season than some of the players that finished behind him, but what he did over the summer goes beyond football and that’s something people should never forget.
Aside from that, he also captained his national team, reaching the semifinal at the Euros and Milan fans know how important he was to snatch a top-four finish in 2020-21.
He played 39 games across all competitions with the Rossoneri and never put in disappointing performances playing a key role on and off the pitch with the Serie A giants who qualified for the Champions League for the first time in eight years.
The Danish defender is in Paris to attend the ceremony and will surely get the credit he deserves in the real world, outside social media.