Ballon d’Or winners don’t go along World Cup winning campaigns. In fact, by France going out of the tournament, Ousmane Dembele might be the one to “blame” over Les Bleus dismay.
Per famous sports statistician Mister Chip, the reigning Ballon d’Or winner has never won the World Cup. Basically, if you win the highest accolade months before the World Cup, your country is ‘cursed‘ in soccer terms.
The World Cup, in change, has propelled many figures into winning the Ballon d’Or, but after they help their nation secure soccer’s biggest tournament. It is a weird trend, but it’s undeniable to think about it now. Also, another star like Mbappe is still in the mix for top scorer, competing against the likes of Lionel Messi, and Harry Kane.
France’s World Cup campaign ended in a catastrophic way
France were by far and away the best team in the World Cup. It seemed like only a catastrophe would have deterred them from winning the it all. Enter the Ballon d’Or curse and now France are out of the World Cup.
Kylian Mbappe of France
Spain also holds quite the mental edge over France now. Still, more than just Dembele, players like Kylian Mbappe, Desire Doue, Michael Olise, and all the plethora of stars for France delivered underwhelming performances. This will likely make Didier Deschamps leave France.
Spain’s recent head-to-head with France is very dominant
Spain has won the last three games over France. All of them are win-or-go-home, to make the matters worse. One was in the Euro 2024 semifinals. Then, the UEFA Nations League semifinals, and now the World Cup semifinals.
Spain knows when, and where it’ll play in the World Cup next. Meanwhile, Les Bleus are not going home, but instead, focus on another match with very low morale. France will play the third-place match in the World Cup.
