Player-by-Player Guide to the 2013 Ballon d'Or Race
Votes are being cast, odds are fluctuating and the hype is growing ahead of the announcement of who will be crowned the winner of the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or—football's premier award marking the world's greatest player over the past year.
Bayern Munich dominate this year's shortlist following their treble-winning season, with no less than six of their players nominated.
In fact, Germany as a nation are very well represented with five players included on the list, with no other country able to boast more than two candidates for FIFA's end-of-year gong.
This is a marked shift in the makeup of the award from 2012, when seven Spaniards—four of whom played for Barcelona—ruled over the competition.
Last year's winner was of course their Argentinian colleague Lionel Messi, with the diminutive magician setting his sights on a historic fourth FIFA Ballon d'Or win in 2013.
Yet if you include the award's original format, run for the last time by France Football in 2009, Messi has already claimed the last four, consecutive titles. Should he take home this year's golden ball, he would be able to boast an unmatchable clean sweep of five trophies.
While the record-breaking forward may have won the 2012 prize with 41.6 percent of the vote, as per BBC Sport, this year's contest is set to be far closer, with his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribery overshadowing the Argentine.
Ronaldo enjoyed another phenomenal season last year even though Real Madrid failed to win La Liga or the Champions League.
His record in the first half of this campaign has arguably been even more impressive, having single-handedly secured World Cup qualification for Portugal while continuing to lead Madrid's modern clutch of Galacticos by example.
Ribery may not be able to post up a goal tally to compete with Messi and Ronaldo, but the Frenchman was so often Bayern's most pivotal player as they triumphed on all fronts in the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal cup and Champions League last year.
There's an argument that, much like Inter's treble-winning Wesley Sneijder in 2010, Ribery is the most deserving winner having produced his greatest ever season and contributing to the most successful team in the world in this calendar year.
After all, with Pep Guardiola replacing the retiring Jupp Heynckes as Bayern boss, the Bavarians look to have gone from strength to strength, with fan favourite Ribery still vital to their irresistible attacking football.
There are, however, 20 other potential recipients who share the shortlist with these three stars, so hit the button below to get started as we assess each player's claim to greatness in 2013.
All stats sourced from WhoScored.com.
Gareth Bale
1 of 23
Club: Tottenham Hotspur/Real Madrid
Country: Wales
2012/13 Record: 44 games, 26 goals
Current Season: 13 games, 9 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: Match-winning performances and personal ambition.
Having risen to become something of a one-man charge for Champions League qualification for Spurs, the Welshman has now upped sticks and headed to the bright lights of the Bernabeu in search of even greater fame and fortune.
After enduring a testy start to life in Spain, Gareth Bale has now begun to emerge as an important player for Madrid and looks to blossom in La Liga into an even more effective attacker.
Edinson Cavani
2 of 23
Club: Napoli/Paris Saint-Germain
Country: Uruguay
2012/13 Record: 43 games, 38 goals
Current Season: 18 games, 13 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: Plenty of goals and a knack for scoring on the biggest stages of all.
Edinson Cavani is far from your orthodox poacher, however, thanks to his powerful physique and versatility—he's comfortable playing out on the flanks when his favoured central attacking role is occupied.
Before completing his €64 million move to PSG in the summer, the Uruguayan was heralded as the player who could well decided the title race in England, and a Cavani-shaped hole remains in Jose Mourinho's transitioning Chelsea squad.
As well as impressing for his clubs in 2013, the striker has also scored seven goals for his country as they battled their way to World Cup qualification through the backdoor of an intercontinental playoff with Jordan and competed in the summer's Confederations Cup.
Should the voters decide to select a goalscorer in this year's awards, as one of Europe's most sought-after, elite forwards, Cavani would be a worthy winner.
Cristiano Ronaldo
3 of 23
Club: Real Madrid
Country: Portugal
2012/13 Record: 55 games, 55 goals
Current Season: 18 games, 25 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: Ruthless consistency with no discernible weaknesses.
Headers, free-kicks, penalties, tap-ins, dribbles, long-range finishes; Ronaldo can do them all with a physique honed for dominating opponents in every department.
Less a football player, and more of a football machine, he has followed another impressive if unfulfilled season with Madrid last year with a sensational start to his 2013-14 campaign for both club and country.
It was Ronaldo who scored all four goals in Portugal's two-legged World Cup qualification playoff victory over Sweden, with his hat-trick scoring performance in the second leg, away in Stockholm, set to go down as one of the greatest individual performances ever in international football.
Whether such feats are recognised on their own merits, rather than in relation to the silverware won by others, will decide whether the Portuguese wins this year's award.
Radamel Falcao
4 of 23
Club: Atletico Madrid/AS Monaco
Country: Colombia
2012/13 Record: 40 games, 34 goals
Current Season: 13 games, 9 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: Like Cavani, Radamel Falcao's credentials are focused on goals, goals and yet more goals.
Having ascended to greatness through second-tier European domination with Porto and later Atletico Madrid, the Colombian was snapped up by AS Monaco in the summer for an eye-watering €60 million.
That valuation matched the fact that Falcao is arguably the best conventional striker in the world, with his game entirely focused on his ability to finish chances and overthrow defensive strangleholds.
His only trophy in 2013 came with Atletico as the Diego Simeone's team won the Copa del Rey with the forward once again rising to devour the big occasion in the final against bitter cross-town rivals, Real Madrid.
Although he didn't score a goal, Falcao was the key man for Atletico, feeding Diego Costa and running the show from attack, suggesting that at times he can offer more to his team than a presence in the penalty box.
Again like Cavani, if the voters wish to reward a world-class striker, Falcao would be an excellent choice to honour with the 2013 Ballon d'Or, but it seems unlikely that he will be considered over his more complete rivals.
Eden Hazard
5 of 23
Club: Chelsea
Country: Belgium
2012/13 Record: 62 games, 13 goals
Current Season: 17 games, 6 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: A near seamless transition from riding high in Ligue 1 to taking the Premier League by storm.
Having left Lille for Chelsea in 2012, the Belgian has quickly become one of the Blues' most important attackers, outfoxing opposing full-backs and defenders with, at times, embarrassing ease.
While the modern game may have become used to star players out-putting goal tallies to rival specialist strikers, Eden Hazard is a more classic winger, who focuses on stretching teams to breaking point out wide, dribbling past his marker and laying on chances for his teammates.
That's not to say that the wide-man is incapable of finding the back of the net, and it may be that—under the watchful eye of Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge—Hazard may soon come to add an even greater goal threat to a highly polished set of skills.
A win in 2013 looks unlikely, but if his development trajectory continues to rise, there's no reason why he cannot compete for future Ballon d'Or titles.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
6 of 23
Club: Paris Saint-Germain
Country: Sweden
2012/13 Record: 46 games, 35 goals
Current Season: 15 games, 14 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: For scoring 30 goals in his debut Ligue 1 season and standing out both as football's most irreverent icon and unusually complete striker.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic may not have been able to eclipse Ronaldo and lift Sweden to the World Cup, but PSG's 6'5" superstar remains one of the most irresistible forwards in world football.
With a physique able to dominate any defender, a height that ensures he enjoys aerial superiority over all foes, and a technical and acrobatic capacity that would be stunning even for a smaller, more compact man, Ibra is a total anomaly.
"Good touch for a big man," doesn't even come close to covering the Swede's skill and comfort on the ball, making him one of the most impressive and awkward players to play against of all time.
Yet considering the amount of trophies won by other contenders, and the viscerally definitive conclusion of his World Cup playoff showdown with Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic's uniqueness is unlikely to be enough to carry him to victory in this year's Ballon d'Or.
Fortunately for Zlatan, and perhaps realising that the odds are stacked against him following his country's defeat at the hands of his rival, the man himself has declared that even if he is overlooked, he doesn't need an award to know that he is the best, as reported by the Guardian.
Whatever ensures Ibrahimovic remains confident, in-form and able to score gobsmacking, spectacular goals is all right by us, even if it takes a touch of self-delusion to keep him producing the goods.
Andres Iniesta
7 of 23
Club: Barcelona
Country: Spain
2012/13 Record: 48 games, 6 goals
Current Season: 22 games, 6 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: Discreet brilliance.
Barcelona's attacking midfield ace has never been a prolific scorer, but for both the Catalans and the Spanish national team, over the past few seasons Andres Iniesta has become a player who pops up with trophy-winning goals at vital moments.
It was his strikes that decided the 2010 World Cup final and the 2009 Champions League semi-final against Chelsea, cementing the playmaker to deserved prominence as a modern great rather than an underrated and esoteric playmaker.
Unfortunately, with Barcelona eventually struggling through the second half of last season, and Spain running out of steam in the later stages of the Confederations Cup, Iniesta hasn't enjoyed as many opportunities to make much more history.
His inclusion on this year's shortlist is therefore based more on his continued, quiet excellence and existing reputation rather than a specific, Ballon d'Or-worthy feat.
Philipp Lahm
8 of 23
Club: Bayern Munich
Country: Germany
2012/13 Record: 47 games, 0 goals
Current Season: 20 games, 0 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: For being, as Guardiola described, "the most intelligent player I have managed in my career", per Axel Ruppert for UEFA.com.
It's long been accepted that Philipp Lahm is one of the finest right-backs in the world, but last season, as Bayern won a famous treble of major titles, the German put in a season of defining performances that left no one in any doubt as to just how great he is.
The sudden and overwhelming burst of recognition that followed in his wake led his existing fans to claim the full-back to be one of the most underrated players of his generation.
While his natural and best position remains at right-back, since Guardiola's arrival in the summer, the Spaniard has played the German as Bayern's defensive midfielder in a 4-1-4-1 formation, citing his awareness and intelligence as the reasons for his redeployment.
Surprisingly, the move has come off in spectacular fashion, with Lahm immediately taking to his new role as the team's midfield cornerstone.
It's unlikely, in an age dominated by eye-catching attacking midfielders and polymath playmakers, that a full-back would be awarded the Ballon d'Or, but if the voters were to look for a less obvious star to champion, Bayern's versatile virtuoso would be a deserving winner.
Robert Lewandowski
9 of 23
Club: Borussia Dortmund
Country: Poland
2012/13 Record: 49 games, 36 goals
Current Season: 22 games, 15 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: Landmark goalscoring achievements in the Champions League while leading the line in arguably the most exciting, attractive and bold team in Europe.
Dortmund have become the mainstream alternative club of choice for football fans to sympathise with when in neutral mode, and Robert Lewandowski has played a huge part in boosting their appeal as BVB's rakish yet brilliant target man.
Whatever the beaten Champions League finalists threw at their frontman, the Pole was able to bring it down, hold it up, take a chance or play in one of his onrushing teammates, all the while tormenting and pressing defenders in their own half.
Although Lewandowski looks set to complete a gut-wrenching move to Bayern in 2014, a vote for him to win the Ballon d'Or in 2013 is also a vote for heroic football played by brilliant underdogs, suffering the misfortune of existing at the same time and in the same league as a genuine wonder team.
Lionel Messi
10 of 23
Club: Barcelona
Country: Argentina
2012/13 Record: 50 games, 60 goals
Current Season: 16 games, 14 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: Because he remains potentially the greatest footballer of all time.
Last year's winner remains this generation's best hope when it comes to supplanting Pele and Maradona as the greatest player of all time, but it's hard to justify him winning another Ballon d'Or when so many other players have raised their game while he has somewhat plateaued.
Messi is still a truly exceptional player and one who has already secured a place on football's pantheon of all-time greats, but where's the fun in handing such an individual an award by default each year? There needs to be a sense of struggle and progress for a win to seem worthwhile.
That's why other candidates may just edge him out this year, with the likes of Ribery having won more and Ronaldo's best form shining through his own struggles for silverware in 2013.
It's true that Messi appears to have finally found a way to channel his abilities into his performances in an Argentina shirt of late—and that his singular brilliance has led Barcelona to become almost completely reliant on his genius to function, even on a basic level—but that might not be enough.
Still, another victory wouldn't be surprising. In fact, a fifth straight Ballon d'Or would feel somewhat inevitable for the best player of his era, but has he exceeded his own abilities in 2013 like his rivals?
The short answer would be no.
Thomas Mueller
11 of 23
Club: Bayern Munich
Country: Germany
2012/13 Record: 47 games, 23 goals
Current Season: 21 games, 13 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: For playing like a footballer of the future, today.
Back in April, the Guardian's Barney Ronay used the German word "Raumdeuter" to describe Thomas Mueller. The term means "space investigator" in English, describing the Bayern forward's uncanny ability to find space in almost any scenario while otherwise appearing to be rather unexceptional in many other aspects.
That would be unexceptional in an elite football sense, of course, as Mueller is still a brilliant player even if he doesn't have the technique, speed or stats to beat Messi and Co. down with.
Since football is ultimately a game based around a team's ability to control and contort space on a pitch, however, the German's innate ability to uncover gaps between his opponent's lines in a way—and on a scale—that's difficult to compare against other players, marks him out as special.
As the game continues to progress into ever more systematic approaches based around possession, territory and the ability to use and abuse space, Mueller's gift could make him an icon.
Until then, he can sometimes look like a footballer before his time, yet that shouldn't stop others from voting for him, if only to endorse his specialty and the footballing future it may one day conquer.
Manuel Neuer
12 of 23
Club: Bayern Munich
Country: Germany
2012/13 Record: 49 games, 0 goals
Current Season: 21 games, 0 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: Being the only goalkeeper on this year's list, and a treble-winning one at that.
Having overcome an initially hostile reception from the Bayern fans following his transfer from league rivals Schalke in 2011, Manuel Neuer has grown into his role as the Bavarians' No. 1, blossoming into one of the finest keepers around.
Not just a shot-stopper, Neuer has been known to push high upfield to support his outfield teammates, even appearing on the halfway line to help pass the ball around the defence.
Who doesn't love a sweeper keeper who plays up to such a role with relish?
While Neuer is another player who works his magic in an unfashionable and less glamorous position on the pitch, it's probably fair to say that his performances have been solid rather than spectacular in comparison to his free-scoring Bayern colleagues and the likes of Ronaldo and Messi.
He is the best goalkeeper in the world at present, however, but in order for him to replicate Lev Yashin's 1963 Ballon d'Or success—the Russian remains the only keeper to have ever won the award in its old and new formats—the German must somehow become one of his era's defining football icons.
Neymar
13 of 23
Club: Santos/Barcelona
Country: Brazil
2012 Record: 47 games, 43 goals
2013 Record: 23 games, 13 goals
Current Season: 20 games, 5 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: Outrageous skill and trickery and a growing maturity that suggests he can carry the hopes and dreams of Brazil on his not-so-wide shoulders.
Having regularly chalked up Messi and Ronaldo-esque goals-to-game ratios for Santos, Neymar has finally made the move to Europe, having joined Barcelona in the summer, midway through his final season in Brazil.
While it's fair to say that he's still finding his feet at Camp Nou, the Brazilian sensation has been mightily impressive for his country, becoming Brazil's talisman and the central focus of Felipe Scolari's plans for the 2014 World Cup.
Judging by his performances in front of an expectant home crowd and political unrest during the summer's Confederations Cup—a tournament which he dominated as its most effective star and the host's idol of inspiration—the lithe forward looks as though he's ready for such a burden.
However, if he is to have a shot at winning the Ballon d'Or, he must translate his success and stats at Santos into a second chapter of brilliance with Barca. Not his year.
Mesut Ozil
14 of 23
Club: Real Madrid/Arsenal
Country: Germany
2012/13 Record: 52 games, 10 goals
Current Season: 2 games, 0 goals (Madrid); 16 games, 3 goals (Arsenal)
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: For being the best classic No. 10 in world football.
Underloved and abandoned by Real, Mesut Ozil has begun a new life at the Emirates with Arsenal—a club that not appear to have no issues appreciating his genius.
The German also appears to have become something of a catalyst for the Gunners, with his arrival sparking a chain reaction of increases in form and confidence throughout Arsene Wenger's squad.
Yet while he left Madrid in far from favourable circumstances, the playmaker was arguably the only player mentioned in the same breath as Ronaldo in terms of his importance to the team and individual ability and brilliance.
Ronaldo himself was reported to be "very unhappy" with the club's decision to sell Ozil in the summer, claiming that, "he is the player who knows best my movements in front of goal," as per Neil McLeman of the Daily Mirror.
Operating on the same wavelength as one of the greatest forwards of all time is no mean feat, and while he may require the right team, the right tactics and the support of more defensively minded colleagues in order to flourish, Ozil remains one of the most sublime creators in football today.
Andrea Pirlo
15 of 23
Club: Juventus
Country: Italy
2012/13 Record: 45 games, 5 goals
Current Season: 19 games, 3 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: For being the greatest classic deep-lying playmaker left in the game.
What more can be said about the timeless elegance and effectiveness of Andrea Pirlo.
Even as football fashions shift and contort with time, the Italian remains one of the most celebrated and feared players around, able to influence and control games from his cavern of creativity behind the main midfielders for both Juventus and Italy.
Last season was another vintage year for the former Milan star, who masterminded Juventus to another Scudetto win along with a run into the latter stages of the Champions League.
As Jonathan Wilson discussed for Bleacher Report back in October, Pirlo plays as if he comes from another era of greater refinement and sophistication than the one we are used to, yet he is very much a relevant and effective force firmly planted in the here and now.
True mastery always looks conspicuously out of place, and while Pirlo—like Ozil—may need the right conditions to operate, when he's allowed to play his game, no one can match him at what he does.
His reliance on his teams, systems and other players means that he's unlikely to be a winner, however, considering the freakish one-man armies of goals, glitz, power and pace that he must compete with.
Franck Ribery
16 of 23
Club: Bayern Munich
Country: France
2012/13 Record: 43 games, 11 goals
Current Season: 17 games, 9 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: For being the cutting edge that made Bayern's treble possible.
As referenced earlier in this guide, while Ribery's goal stats may pale in comparison to Messi and Ronaldo, the Frenchman's importance as the sharp and decisive spearhead for his club's success last season cannot be overstated.
The winger has spent 2013 ripping defences to shreds and humiliating defenders tasked with stopping him all the while growing his own legend among Bayern's fans, who have come to see him as a kindred spirit on the pitch as well as their star player.
While his performances for France haven't quite matched up to the feats he has achieved in the red of the Bavarians, he was still able to help Didier Deschamps' team overturn a seemingly unassailable 2-0 deficit against Ukraine in their qualification playoff to win 3-2 on aggregate.
By championing Ribery the Ballon d'Or voters can go some way to righting the wrongs of 2010 when Sneijder missed out on the award even though, having inspired Inter to their first-ever treble, he was the world's most successful in-form player that season.
It all depends on whether they can look past the numbers and undoubted quality of Messi and Ronaldo.
Arjen Robben
17 of 23
Club: Bayern Munich
Country: The Netherlands
2012/13 Record: 30 games, 13 goals
Current Season: 18 games, 12 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: Adapting his game to work harder for his team-mates and providing pivotal goals in Bayern's treble-winning season.
Arjen Robben has long carried a reputation for being a somewhat difficult or prickly player to work with, yet last season he was practically selfless in his efforts to ensure Bayern would claim the success they had come so close to snatching in recent years.
The Dutchman's hard work paid off, too, in the most dramatic of fashions as he scored the winning goal in the Champions League final, which also happened to be the strike to secure the treble.
Having been regarded by the media as surplus to requirements in Pep's brave new Bayern era, he has again dug deep and put in the hours to reclaim a place in the new manager's team.
More grounded, well rounded and with a professional attitude, Robben could well remain a permanent fixture at the Allianz Arena for some time to come.
Bastian Schweinsteiger
18 of 23
Club: Bayern Munich
Country: Germany
2012/13 Record: 44 games, 9 goals
Current Season: 17 games, 2 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: For showing that the midfield general can still lead a team on to unprecedented triumphs.
Bastian Schweinsteiger has been compared to many great players—Bayern's answer to Xavi, the German Vieira and so on—but in 2013, he wrote his own story as a treble-winning midfield lynchpin who showed that the words "defensive midfielder" and "possession football" needn't be unexciting.
When he isn't patrolling from box to box, moving about the field to ensure his teammates are well served in terms of passing options and angles, and chasing down opponents to win back the ball, the German can be found pushing forwards to support attacks and start a few of his own.
English football fans often bemoan the death of the midfield general, yet Schweinsteiger shows that such players can and do still exist. They just need a bit of refinement and thought in order to make an impact on the systems and specialities of the modern game.
Sadly, Bayern's midfield dynamo is unlikely to win this year's award due to his lack of personal pizzazz, but don't be surprised if more than a few votes are sent his way by those who still admire the presence of a near-complete all-rounder working hard to drive their team onward to glory.
Luis Suarez
19 of 23
Club: Liverpool
Country: Uruguay
2012/13 Record: 44 games, 30 goals
Current Season: 8 games, 9 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: For his tenacity and improvisational abilities.
Liverpool fans may well be pinching themselves that their club were somehow able to retain the services of Luis Suarez following a summer of hearsay, acrimony and rumoured transfer requests.
Rival fans and unimpressed neutrals may despise the forward due to the controversy he so often courts, but his skill is undeniable, which for many makes his malevolence and gamesmanship all the more upsetting.
His infamous biting of Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic's arm saw Suarez banned for 10 games—a sanction that carried over into the new season.
Yet while he missed Liverpool's opening games, he has bounced back into action in a big way, scoring nine goals in eight games, having founded a nigh-on telepathic understanding with his striker partner, Daniel Sturridge.
While it's impossible to say whether the Uruguayan will remain at Anfield in the future—should they miss out on Champions League football again, any semblance of loyalty remaining within him will surely be tested—Suarez has certainly proved himself to be a special player.
Due to his lack of impact on the game's biggest stage, the Champions League, he isn't worthy of winning the Ballon d'Or, but should he find his way into Europe's premier competition, that could soon change.
Thiago Silva
20 of 23
Club: Paris Saint-Germain
Country: Brazil
2012/13 Record: 34 games, 3 goals
Current Season: 5 games, 0 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: For being the most stylish yet solid defender around.
Unlike his countryman David Luiz, Thiago Silva's skill on the ball and ability to start attacks and contribute to his team's forward play doesn't come at the cost of his defensive duties or concentration at the back.
Originally a right-winger he was converted into a full-back before becoming a centre-back, and his comfort on the ball and ability to play it out of defence mark Silva out as a defender worthy of the lineage of Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta and Co.
The €42 million that PSG paid AC Milan for services in 2011 also helps to underline the point that the Brazilian is perhaps the gold standard when it comes to central defenders at present.
A win in the Ballon d'Or would be an incredible achievement for the centre-back. Although, like many of the other underdogs on this shortlist, it would be a surprise—albeit a pleasant one—to see him come anywhere close to claiming the gong this year.
Yaya Toure
21 of 23
Club: Manchester City
Country: Cote d'Ivoire
2012/13 Record: 42 games, 9 goals
Current Season: 14 games, 7 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: Because when on form he is a physical and technical force of nature.
How do you stop a player like Yaya Toure? The Ivorian has the domineering stature of a goalkeeper, the power of a traditional centre-back or target man, the touch of a playmaker and the drive of a classic, all-English box-to-box midfielder.
If he can't power through you, he'll pass around you, and if that doesn't work, then he'll fire home a free-kick from just outside your team's area.
Toure also has plenty of brains to match his brawn and brilliance, too, with the 2013 BBC African Footballer of the Year one of the leading figures at City and a crucial figurehead on the field for both his previous boss Roberto Mancini and current manager Manuel Pellegrini.
He scores important goals, makes excellent decisions and can hurt opposing teams in a variety of ways, but it seems unlikely that he will claim the 2013 Ballon d'Or due to City's lack of silverware and their humbling against Bayern in the Champions League.
Robin Van Persie
22 of 23
Club: Manchester United
Country: The Netherlands
2012/13 Record: 48 games, 30 goals
Current Season: 14 games, 10 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: Turning Manchester United into Premier League champions.
Had Robin van Persie not suffered a dip in form in early 2013, he may have been a favourite for this year's award, yet instead a dry spell after Christmas saw United fail to capitalise on their chances against Real Madrid and allowed their league lead to slip slightly.
The Dutchman's case hasn't been helped by a difficult start to his second season at Old Trafford, having watched Sir Alex Ferguson retire to be replaced by David Moyes.
That's not to say that van Persie is unworthy of a nomination. Far from it.
In 2013, he scored numerous important and beautiful goals, including the strikes that sealed United's 20th title in some style against Aston Villa (as pictured above).
To be considered for next year's shortlist, let alone award, van Persie must find his fitness, rediscover his form and once again put Wayne Rooney in the shade to prove he is not only the best player at Old Trafford but also in the Premier League as a whole.
Xavi
23 of 23
Club: Barcelona
Country: Spain
2012/13 Record: 48 games, 7 goals
Current Season: 19 games, 3 goals
Why He Deserves to Win the Ballon d'Or: For his reputation and past body of work at Barcelona.
Let's cut to the chase. Xavi, for all his greatness and past achievements, shouldn't be on this year's list.
Like Iniesta, he failed to lift Barcelona when Messi was out of action and, at the age of 33, the veteran midfielder can no longer be counted on to be the pass master to keeping the Catalans ticking over week in, week out.
In some ways, the team's need for him to play as often as possible, even when unfit and unrested, is—to some extent—holding them back, something which Barca's new coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino has sought to address by finding midfield alternatives.
Yet given the incredible amount of success he has enjoyed in recent years, who can really begrudge Xavi a nomination that amounts to a lifetime achievement award rather than evidence of another year of ever-present midfield perfection.
Ilkay Gundogan may feel he's been somewhat overlooked.
