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Atletico Madrid Defender Luis Perea Champions Diego Forlan For Ballon D'Or
Luis Perea believes Atletico Madrid colleague Diego Forlan is front runner for Ballon d'Or.
Sep 3, 2010 2:45:00 PM
By Paul Macdonald
Atletico Madrid’s Colombian defender Luis Perea has claimed that club colleague Diego Forlan is the most worthy candidate for the 2010 Ballon d’Or crown.
Last year Lionel Messi was almost unanimously accepted to be the deserved winner, but this year a number of players have reasons to believe that they are worthy of the title, including Wesley Sneijder, Andres Iniesta and Xavi.
However, defender Perea reckons that Forlan trumps them all, saying in a press conference today: “I think Forlan has sufficient merit to win, but this is not a decision that depends on me.”
Perea is also satisfied with the efforts of the team early in the season, winning the European Super Cup and also defeating Sporting Gijon on matchday one.
He added: “We’ve only played two games, but they have been important for morale. Last year we started badly, we have very little confidence, but winning the Europa League changes many things. We expect a tough test against Athletic Bilbao after the break, then we will actually see if the team is so strong.
“Barcelona and Real Madrid are still above us, but since [coach] Quique [Sanchez Flores] arrived the team has improved a lot.”
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Last year Lionel Messi was almost unanimously accepted to be the deserved winner, but this year a number of players have reasons to believe that they are worthy of the title, including Wesley Sneijder, Andres Iniesta and Xavi.
However, defender Perea reckons that Forlan trumps them all, saying in a press conference today: “I think Forlan has sufficient merit to win, but this is not a decision that depends on me.”
Perea is also satisfied with the efforts of the team early in the season, winning the European Super Cup and also defeating Sporting Gijon on matchday one.
He added: “We’ve only played two games, but they have been important for morale. Last year we started badly, we have very little confidence, but winning the Europa League changes many things. We expect a tough test against Athletic Bilbao after the break, then we will actually see if the team is so strong.
“Barcelona and Real Madrid are still above us, but since [coach] Quique [Sanchez Flores] arrived the team has improved a lot.”
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. Get the latest football news direct... Check out Goal.com's page; be part of the best football fan community in the world!| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
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| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
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