9 Players Deserving of a Place on the Ballon d'Or Shortlist

With the winner of the FIFA Ballon d'Or set to be revealed on January 13, soccer's governing body has narrowed down their choices to a group of 23 players.

Upon examination of the list, it seems as though FIFA did a pretty decent job, as every name on the last can be considered an elite player, with making a case against any of them being a pretty difficult task.

However, that doesn't mean some great players weren't still snubbed, as the FIFA board can only select a finite number of players.

The following players all had shortlist-worthy seasons but were plagued by not being on an elite team, having a myriad of their teammates already on the list, or lacking the name recognition and pedigree of some of the names on the shortlist.

All stats and info via ESPN FC and WhoScored.com unless otherwise indicated.

Defenders

Leighton Baines was quietly one of the best defenders in Europe last season, but he didn't get the recognition he deserves based on the fact that he plays for Everton.

Leighton Baines: The English left-back had an extremely strong season, yet very few people noticed. Baines was a dynamo for the Toffees on the flank, posting five goals and five assists apiece while starting all 38 EPL matches.

With 2.8 successful crosses per game and 3.1 key passes per game (first and second in EPL last season, respectively), it is sometimes easy to forget that Baines is, in fact, a defender. The Englishman also tallied 1.5 interceptions and 2.4 tackles, serving as a cool, composed and consistent member of Everton's back line.

Making a move to United—as suggested by John Richardson of the Express—wouldn't surprise many if Everton were to experience a significant drop in the table.

Giorgio Chiellini: Though he does not possess the same offensive prowess as Baines, Giorgio Chiellini has been equally important and impressive for Juventus over the past year.

En route to their second consecutive Serie A crown, the menacing Italian full-back provided them with the physical advantage they needed. The 29-year-old won 2.8 aerial duels per game and also cleared the ball 6.2 times per game. In addition, he completed a staggering 90.3 percent of his passes, in no way letting oncoming attackers perturb him.

Chiellini is not flashy, but he deserves recognition as an elite defender for manning the defense of one of Europe's best squads.

Traditional/Holding Midfielders

Steven Gerrard has embraced a new role at Liverpool.

Steven Gerrard: Rather than experiencing a steep decline due to his age, Gerrard has reinvented himself as a regista—a deep-lying midfielder who dictates play and distributes balls to his teammates. Playing just a notch above his defenders, the English international posted nine goals and nine assists for Liverpool last year and has been a vital part of their recent success as well as England's.

Though the frequent playing of long balls is often viewed as a lazy style of play, Gerrard has certainly mastered the art, posting a league-best 8.4 successful long balls per game last campaign.

"Stevie G" is nowhere near his prime in terms of physical ability, but his thrilling transformation into a playmaker deserves some appreciation.

Cesc Fabregas and Sergio Busquets: Though four of their teammates (Neymar, Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta) are already on the shortlist, Fabregas and Busquets deserve to be there as well, as they are genuinely gifted footballers who play a large part in Barcelona's success.

They both had at least 25 La Liga appearances for Barcelona, often starting alongside each other in the center of midfield. With Fabregas often surging to the opposing goal, he posted 11 goals and assists apiece, while Sergio Busquets stayed back to help build up the team's tiki-taka style of play, maintaining a pass succession rate of 92.2 percent.

With their opposite roles, they helped propel Barca to another Spanish league title.

Attacking Midfielders

Mata was arguably Chelsea's best player this past year

Juan Mata: Though he was a much-deserved member of the PFA Player of the Year shortlist, Mata could not find himself on the shortlist recognizing the best players in the world.

With a strong stat line of 12 goals and assists apiece, Mata was brilliant for Chelsea in the 2012/13 campaign. A player with every offensive skill and trait imaginable, he took on something of a leadership role for Chelsea, often looked toward to come up with magic in dire situations.

In providing 2.7 key passes per game, Mata facilitated one of the most potent attacks in Europe and established himself as a world-class player.

Santi Cazorla: Often viewed as a good-but-not great player, Cazorla's brilliance over the past season for Arsenal went largely unnoticed by everyone. That is, everyone but WhoScored.com, whose rating of the Spaniard put him behind only Gareth Bale and Luis Suarez for the entire season.

Playing in the center attacking midfield role, Cazorla was an absolute revelation for the Gunners, posting 12 goals and 11 assists in 36 appearances. His quick transition to the EPL was impressive, and he was quickly relied upon to act as a playmaker and set up forwards such as Lukas Podolski and Oliver Giroud. 

Forwards

Benteke scored a spectacular 19 goals in his first EPL season.

Christian Benteke: While Aston Villa fans battled specters of relegation throughout the season, Christian Benteke gave them hope that they would stay in England's top flight (they ultimately did).

Unlike the members of the Ballon d'Or shortlist, Benteke does not have world-class talent surrounding him. With his team last year retaining an average of just 45.6 percent possession per game, Benteke had to be extremely efficient in front of goal.

With a laser shot and world-class heading ability, he managed to do that, posting a 71 percent average shot accuracy en route to 19 EPL goals, according to Squawka.

Standing at the towering height of 6'3", he is the definition of a target man, and he showcased his ability to make something out of nothing throughout the season. No wonder Arsenal were pushing for his services this past summer, as reported by Metro writer James Boylan.

Stefan Kiessling: Much like the case of Santi Cazorla, it seems Kiessling is not getting the credit and recognition he deserves.

This past season in the Bundesliga, he posted 25 goals and seven assists, both of which trump the 24 goals and five assists of shortlist member Robert Lewandowski. In addition, he had two key passes and 3.2 drawn fouls per game. 

Kiessling was a major catalyst in Bayer Leverkusen's jump from fifth to third place and resulting qualification for the Champions League. With his extremely strong season going unheralded, it is clear FIFA need to change the way they are selecting players for the shortlist.

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