An Argument for Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Win the Ballon d'Or

Following a flurry of spectacular goals in October, Zlatan Ibrahimovic catapulted himself into late contention to win the FIFA Ballon d’Or. Since then, his form has barely let up; so far this season the Swede has 15 goals across both Ligue 1 and the Champions League.

Coming into form at the right time in a year where some of the usual contenders for the prize have been below their usual phenomenal best, some have dubbed the 32-year-old the best player in the world at present. 

Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger is one of those, as reported by TF1 (h/t ESPN FC). 

Ibra’s impressive calendar year includes winning a first Ligue 1 trophy in 19 years for club side Paris Saint-Germain, as well as finishing as the top scorer in France with 30 goals, tying Jean-Pierre Papin’s 1989-90 record. He also helped the French champions to a Champions League quarterfinal appearance on their return to the stage after an eight-year absence.

However, in order for the talismanic striker to justify winning the award, a number of things need to happen. 

Currently, Ibrahimovic is vying with Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal to secure Sweden a place at next year’s World Cup in Brazil. The Real Madrid man leads 1-0 from the first leg, but the PSG talent will fancy his chances of overcoming that with home advantage in the return game.

Doing so would arguably knock Ronaldo, one of the Swede’s big rivals for this year’s prize, out of a place in the top two, which he could have justified by taking Portugal to Brazil next year.

For the Portuguese star, it has not been the best of years. Despite some impressive individual performances, club side Real have won nothing of note domestically or in Europe.

While individual success must play a part in the award, it is difficult to make a solid case for Ronaldo to take the award over the likes of Lionel Messi, Franck Ribery or Ibrahimovic, who all won at least a domestic league title last year.

Messi has also not enjoyed the best of seasons, judging by his normally impeccable standards, but that does not mean that it has been a poor one, either. His form in helping Barcelona secure a 22nd La Liga title alone puts him into the top three, despite the fact that the Catalan side were below-par in the Champions League and the Copa del Rey.

No such accusations can be aimed at Bayern Munich star Ribery, though. 

The French international has been in sublime form over the past year and helped inspire Der FCB to an unprecedented treble, a new German record. Given the Bavarians’ achievements last season and their continued dominant form this time, and with Ribery still at the forefront, it seems ludicrous to suggest that anyone other than the 30-year-old could sweep the gong. 

However, Ribery’s detractors will always point to his wildly contrasting international performances as a reason for him to not be considered the world’s best player. For the most part, those criticisms are justified, particularly at present, with France possibly failing to qualify for the World Cup. 

The Frenchman impressed recently in the friendly victory over Australia and the dominant win against Finland in the World Cup qualifiers. However, two matches—and arguably not the biggest in his international career by any stretch—do not complete the transformation of the player who has underwhelmed with Les Bleus for too long.

Ribery’s ineffective showings in national team colours came back to haunt him last week in France’s first-leg FIFA World Cup 2014 qualification play-off clash. Questions were raised about his overall performances in seven years on the international stage after a 2-0 defeat to Ukraine in Kiev, where the Bayern man went missing for 90 minutes. 

With Didier Deschamps’ side trailing going into the return leg at the Stade de France, the showdown clash has the potential of making or breaking Ribery’s international reputation—not to mention tarnishing his Ballon d’Or chances. 

Ibrahimovic has none of that, despite Sweden also facing elimination. He is far and away the best player in the recent history of the Swedish national team, perhaps ever. He has also been in impressive form for the majority of the past calendar year.

The 2012-2013 season was Ibra’s best from a statistical point of view, per Soccerway. He scored a career-high 30 league goals and had seven assists. In the Champions League, he added three goals and laid on another seven. He also scored twice in the Coupe de France, taking him to a total of 35 goals and 14 assists. 

In this calendar year alone, Ibrahimovic boasts 20 Ligue 1 strikes to date, adding seven assists. The Swede has exceeded expectations in France so far, and although PSG were expected to win Ligue 1 and possibly more, his contribution has turned the capital club into a prominent European force ahead of schedule.

The 32-year-old is arguably the main reason for PSG’s ascendancy into the upper echelons of European club football already. But his importance for the Swedish national team should also not be understated.

Like with the Scandinavians, Ibra is the focal point of the PSG side still, despite the arrival of Edinson Cavani. Technically, he is head and shoulders above most in the French champions’ side, and at times he single-handedly carries the team.

That he has been able to handle such great expectations immediately puts him in the same bracket as Messi, Ribery and Ronaldo, who regularly lead their sides to victory. However, it should be acknowledged that the PSG supporting cast is arguably not as gifted as Barcelona's, Bayern Munich's or Real Madrid’s at present, despite boasting the likes of Cavani and Thiago Silva.

Many predicted that PSG would not succeed in becoming a major European power by signing a player who is often seen as a flat-track bully. This image of Ibrahimovic is inaccurate, as he has proven in his past season-and-a-half at the Parc des Princes. Not only has he shown considerable prowess in front of goal, but he has also displayed incredible selflessness to aid his side. 

Another reason to justify a potential Ibrahimovic win is the undoubted excitement factor that he provides for fans and pundits alike. 

His recent goals against SC Bastia and RSC Anderlecht drew superlative praise from all over the football world, while his sensational bicycle-kick volley for Sweden against England last year was voted one of the best goals in the history of football.

Admittedly, there seems a bit of a trend in the possible reasons for an Ibrahimovic win. A lot of it points to the Swede depending on one of his competitors, notably Ribery, who is the outstanding favourite for the award, to struggle in order to win.

Otherwise, he is dependent on the others’ lack of achievements, instead of winning it outright. What cannot be debated, though, is that the talk of Ibrahimovic being a potential Ballon d’Or winner is thoroughly deserved, even if he does not triumph. 

With all of this talk about individual success, the Swede’s individual achievements over the past year can arguably only be rivaled by Ribery. While the world-class qualities of Messi and Ronaldo cannot be debated, Ibrahimovic has arguably bettered himself more than either of the La Liga-based stars over the past 12 months.

He has become a more rounded player, something many never thought possible, concentrating on his creativity while maintaining a prolific scoring record superior to any of his previous best in any country.

In a season where the opposition have few concrete claims for the title, Ibrahimovic and Ribery are the two outstanding candidates. 

Should the Swede lead his country past Portugal and to Brazil next year, that achievement, considering the disparity between the two sides, could arguably only be eclipsed by Ribery leading France to an improbable comeback to qualify at Ukraine’s expense.