A journalist from Sri Lanka earned a reputation for making a series of unusual picks in the Ballon d'Or voting, with some of his previous winners including Leonardo Bonucci and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Hafiz Marikar, a former reporter for the Daily News – a popular English-language newspaper in Sri Lanka – has an eventful history when it comes to the Ballon d'Or.
To give you an idea of how the voting system works, a journalist from each of the top 100 nations in the FIFA world rankings will select their top five players from a 30-man shortlist ahead of the ceremony in Paris.
In regards to point scoring, the player ranked first on a voter's form will receive six points; second is given four; third – three points; fourth – two points and fifth is one.
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If two players are tied on overall points, the number of first-place votes will be used as a tie-breaker.
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After the ceremony is finished, the votes will be made public, meaning every journalist will be analysed [and potentially scrutinised] for their choices.
In years gone by there have been some 'unusual' voting patterns, to say the least. But perhaps the most infamous of them all is Sri Lanka's very own Hafiz Marikar.
To kick things off, Marikar pulled no punches in 2017 when he picked a top five of Harry Kane, Eden Hazard, Radamel Falcao, David de Gea and his eventual winner, Leonardo Bonucci, who had just reached a Champions League final with Juventus.
A year later, he decided to vote for former Chelsea winger Eden Hazard as his number one, with Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino coming in second ahead of Paul Pogba, Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane.
Finally, in 2019, Marikar ended his three-year stint on the Ballon d'Or voting panel with arguably his most outrageous shout.
The journalist picked Liverpool and England full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold as his winner for 2019. Of course, Trent's clever corner-kick routine against Barcelona in the Champions League was impressive, but was it enough to warrant the coveted prize?
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Antoine Griezmann completed his top three as Robert Lewandowski and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen followed in fourth and fifth respectively.
It must be noted that Marikar's votes were made before the Ballon d’Or ruling changed in 2022. Previously, they came in from every FIFA-recognised nation, including Sri Lanka, who are currently ranked 200th.
Topics: Ballon d'Or, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Leonardo Bonucci, Eden Hazard
Jack Kenmare