Wenger criticises Ballon d’Or award

Arsene Wenger has been discussing the Ballon d’Or award – presented to the best player in the world – and he is clearly not a fan of the prize.

The French tactician said the award doesn’t help players play for the team but for their individual goals.

“I’m against it because it gets in the head of players and you see many people thinking only about themselves and not the team as they are thinking about the Ballon d’Or,” says Wenger. “Football is a team sport and you want to respect what it is about.

“I congratulate the players that do well, but when you look at the history you do not think it has sometimes been the most objective of decisions.”

There is also some confusion from the Gunners boss who describes it as “a big satisfaction for him and for us,” when describing Mesut Ozil’s inclusion on the shortlist for the award. Ozil was not named in the 30-man shortlist announced earlier in the week.