Following this year’s FIFA World Cup, most were not ready for more fútbol. However, true fans eagerly anticipated the unveiling of the player nominees for the prestigious award of FIFA’s Ballon d’Or.
The FIFA Ballon d’Or is an annual award for the male player considered to have the best performance the year before. It began in 2010, after France Football’s Ballon d’Or (started 1956) and the men’s FIFA World Player of the Year (started 1991) were merged.
Among the players nominated were no-brainers such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr, Andrés Iniesta, and Gareth Bale. Of course, no one could forget the current world champions of Germany, and nominees including Thomas Müller, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Phillip Lahm, and Manuel Neuer made Die Mannschaft the most represented national team. Bayern Münich and Real Madrid tied for the most club nominees with six each, and Barcelona came in second with four.
Much attention focused on who was not nominated—the ever-controversial, ever-biting Luis Suárez. This summer, he was suspended for four months after clamping on Giorgio Chielinni’s shoulder during the World Cup, but before that, he was named the Premiere League’s Player of the Year and shared the Golden Ball award with Cristiano Ronaldo as Europe’s top goal scorer. Suárez reportedly admits the snub from the 23-man shortlist was deserved. Regardless, the top three contenders for the Ballon d’Or were announced on December 1st—Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Manuel Neuer. Real Madrid and Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo won the globe last year and has been the runner-up for three of the four years the FIFA Ballon d’Or has been around. He is far by favorite to win, despite being knocked out of this year’s World Cup in the group stage by Germany and the United States. “I believe [Cristiano] will win it again this year,” explains the Brazilian Ronaldo, who won the award in 1997 and 2002. “He is scoring lots of goals…[and] is helping with Real Madrid’s general play…Cristiano’s year is memorable.”
Cristiano’s constant competitor for the world’s best player is Lionel Messi, who works his magic for Argentina and Barcelona. He has won the Ballon d’Or four times, the most out of any player ever, and been in the top three eight times. This year, he was widely criticized for his lackluster performance in the World Cup and blamed for Barcelona’s turbulent quality of play. Barcelona teammate Luis Suárez thinks Messi should win, saying, “Leo [Messi] reached the World Cup final…whereas Cristiano [Ronaldo] by contrast was eliminated in the first round with Portugal.” He adds, “After so many months with many goals [it] is amazing that people do not think of Leo Messi as the favorite.”
Finally, Manuel Neuer of Germany and Bayern Münich was an unusual, though not entirely unexpected, selection, mainly because he is a goalkeeper. This summer, he was a crucial member of Germany’s winning World Cup team and has been widely praised for completely redefining goalkeeping with his interactive style of play. Rather than standing still for most of the game, he has been known to run across half the field to tackle opposing players and steal the ball to pass to teammates for a goal opportunity - which often turns into an actual goal. If he wins, he would be the first goalkeeper to do so since the legendary Lev Yashin in 1965, whom most regard as the best of all time. Some disregard Neuer as a truly great player because he is not able to set much of an example in his position. Others say his often-entertaining antics not just in goal, but also on the field, are something to be wary of, and perhaps awarded. Not many think the dynamic duo of ‘Messionaldo’ has won the Ballon d’Or too many times. Bayern Münich player Thomas Müller is an exception. “If…Cristiano Ronaldo wins, then [the FIFA Ballon d’Or] would be almost boring,” Manuel Neuer’s teammate says. “[Neuer] is world champion and has also been in sensational form.”
The winner of fútbol’s golden globe will be announced on January 12th, 2015. At this point, Ronaldo is the favorite and most likely to win, having lead Real Madrid to a La Liga championship for the tenth year in a row last season. But a lot can happen in a month. Who knows? Maybe Ronaldo will be the best player again. Maybe Messi will swoop in for a fifth time. Or maybe, just maybe, the entertainer, innovator, and savior of Manuel Neuer will change the course of goalkeeping for the better.
FIFA Ballond D'Or
By Laura L.