Fabian Ruiz's Ballon d'Or Case: A Midfielder's Perspective

Fabian Ruiz is not whispering his Ballon d'Or case. He’s spelling it out.

After a season in which he lifted both the World Cup with Spain and the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain, the midfielder believes his name belongs firmly in the conversation for football’s biggest individual prize – even with a three-month knee injury interrupting his year.

“In terms of titles, no one has had a better season than me,” he told L’Equipe, laying down a clear marker.

For Ruiz, the collective haul speaks louder than any personal stat line. “Individually, great players have had an excellent season. A World Cup with your country is the biggest title you can win.”

That résumé alone would give most players enough confidence to push their case harder. Ruiz, though, knows the field is stacked. He openly points to Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal as one of the standout contenders, acknowledging that the teenage winger has surged towards the front of the race in many observers’ eyes.

Ruiz has been here before, if on a smaller scale. Speaking to France Football, he reflected on finishing 24th in the voting last year and simply being on the long list. “Where do I see myself in the Ballon d’Or race? That comes down to the voters,” he said. “The most important thing for me is to put myself at the disposal of the team, while at the same time striving to be among the best. I was fortunate to be among the list of thirty nominees last year. Being among the thirty is a great honour.”

He knows the history. Midfielders often live in the shadows when the big trophies are handed out, squeezed between the goals of the forwards and the heroics of the goalkeepers. Yet Ruiz draws strength from a recent example close to home. “Rodri won the Ballon d’Or two years ago,” he reminded France Football, a reference point that reinforces his belief that the game has started to reward the less glamorous roles.

For Ruiz, that shift matters. He wants voters to look beyond the obvious numbers – goals, assists, highlight reels – and weigh the total influence a player has on the pitch. The passes that break pressure, the control of tempo, the work without the ball. That is where he stakes his claim.

“And although defenders and goalkeepers still find it difficult to gain recognition, I believe what matters today is the role a player performs more than his position on the pitch,” he said.

That idea stretches beyond this year’s Ballon d’Or debate. Ruiz talks about responsibility, about what the next generation sees and values. “And it is important to set an example for children who are starting to play football, so that they also look at midfielders, defenders and goalkeepers.”

The trophies are already in his hands. The question now is whether the voters decide his role in winning them was big enough to break through the noise of the attackers and push a deep-lying midfielder to the top of the world.