🥱 This must be ragebait! Magath's bizarre Ballon d'Or favourite

🥱 This must be ragebait! Magath's bizarre Ballon d'Or favouriteMonday evening is the big moment: London will host the eagerly anticipated Ballon d'Or ceremony. The prestigious award recognizes the best performances of the past season, from August 2025 to July 2026.

>The race could hardly be more exciting. Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi are among the many leading contenders.

>But if Felix Magath had his way, a completely different player would take home the Ballon d'Or. In today's edition of "Bild am Sonntag," the 1980 European champion named Germany's nemesis Marc Cucurella as his favorite.

>Magath's reasoning: "He's a world-class left-back, always there, a strong runner and hardly ever loses a duel. He locks down his flank and gets forward too. He played a major role in Spain's World Cup triumph."

To be fair, the 73-year-old is by no means wrong about that. Cucurella did indeed have an outstanding World Cup and is undoubtedly one of the best left-backs on the planet. Another important point is that defensive players are traditionally overlooked for the Ballon d'Or and could certainly do with a little more love.

>And yet: actually considering Cucurella, who had anything but an easy year at club level, the best or most valuable player in the world does feel a bit like ragebait. Clearly successful ragebait, though, because we took the bait hook, line and sinker!

>What do you think: Does Magath have a point with his Cucurella pick? Or is his choice—pun intended!—a bit of a hair-brained idea? Let us know in the comments!

>This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.