Ranking the 23 Players on the 2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or Shortlist
FIFA have announced the 23 players on the shortlist for the 2014 men's world footballer of the year award, with two of last year's Ballon d'Or finalists included.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have won the last six Ballon d'Or awards between them, with the Portuguese forward winning it last time out.
Here we take a look at all 23 players and rank them according to just what they have done over the past 10 months, for club and country, to see who deserves to take the 2014 World Player of the Year trophy.
23. Eden Hazard
1 of 23
Let's keep this in perspective: 23rd on the list is still 23rd out of every player in the world, at least in FIFA's eyes, and someone had to get us started.
Chelsea forward Eden Hazard has excelled with his club, honing his ability to beat markers and find the net on a regular basis, while also being a creative source for his attacking team-mates.
The Belgian didn't impact hugely on the World Cup but has once more been good, without reaching truly outstanding, with his club at the start of the new season.
Hazard needs to add more consistency to his game to reach the very top levels, as he undoubtedly has the match-winning talent to do so on a far more regular basis.
22. Mario Gotze
2 of 23
What has Mario Gotze managed this year of note? Why, he only scored the winning goal in the World Cup final!
Not a bad start, but Gotze has also shown flashes of his great talent over 2014 with Bayern Munich, along with playing a central role for Germany at Brazil 2014.
Like Hazard, he needs to produce the goods more frequently to be considered one of the best in the world, but there is plenty of talent there to build on and he's certainly young enough to flourish further.
21. Karim Benzema
3 of 23
Real Madrid's star players and signings take plenty of spotlight and column inches, but striker Karim Benzema deserves enormous recognition for both the work-rate and the link play he does to help them all thrive.
The No. 9 scores plenty of goals but also plays off the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale extremely well. His movement and running behind the defence perfectly suit the style and demands of Real, and the decision to keep him and sell Gonzalo Higuain was certainly the right one for the club.
Benzema also led the line well for France's run to the quarter-finals at the World Cup.
20. Neymar
4 of 23
Neymar made a good start to life in La Liga, but by January—when consideration for this award starts from—he was in and out of the side and had one or two injuries to contend with.
Barcelona's form as a whole dipped toward the end of the campaign, too, but the Brazilian shot back to form in the World Cup itself to initially inspire his nation toward the latter stages—before injury ruined that, too.
This season has seen an improvement in physique and final-third end product, giving us plenty to look forward to in the coming years—but he's not a contender for the award this time.
19. Javier Mascherano
5 of 23
Inside the top 20 now and these players who are all worthy of consideration for the latter stages.
Javier Mascherano was Barcelona's best defender last season, especially during the latter end of the campaign when the side came under more pressure at the back.
His aggressive nature and his reading of the game made him an important starter for his side, which has continued into this year, with Barcelona starting the league season with eight clean sheets in succession.
For Argentina, Mascherano excelled at the World Cup in his old defensive midfielder role, shielding the back line and getting through tremendous amounts of work in exemplary style.
18. Thomas Muller
6 of 23
Bayern Munich's all-round attacker Thomas Muller seems to stride through every match without ever showing a single moment of talent as great as, say, a Neymar or a Hazard, but yet more frequently having a bigger impact on results than most others in the game.
Whether from the right of attack, in a No. 10 role or as a withdrawn centre-forward, Muller wins games for club and country by his knack of finding space, his great first touch and his ice-cool composure in front of goal.
His side walked to the Bundesliga title and he played a prominent part in Germany's World Cup win, too.
17. James Rodriguez
7 of 23
2014 has been near-perfect for James Rodriguez.
A switch infield to a No. 10 role for Monaco over the second half of 2013-14 saw a massive upturn in his own form and contribution, where he could dribble at opposition defenders and create chances at will.
Then came the World Cup, of course, where he came to prominence and the awareness of nearly every casual fan with his displays for Colombia—and now he has settled into the Real Madrid first XI after a big-money move.
More and more success is the only route James will take from this point onward.
16. Paul Pogba
8 of 23
Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has strode purposefully from pedestal to pedestal this past year, showing ever-increasing importance to club and country from the centre of midfield.
His ability to dominate through the centre of the park, both defensively and then quickly moving forward, make him a stand-out as perhaps soon to be the best modern central midfielder on the planet.
For France, Pogba has won himself a starting spot in the centre and impressed at the World Cup.
15. Sergio Ramos
9 of 23
Real Madrid centre-back Sergio Ramos has been at the top of his game for some years and was the main man as the side finally ended their long quest for La Decima—their 10th European Cup triumph—last May.
Ramos was, of course, also a part of the Spain defence which bombed at the World Cup, though he was nowhere near as culpable as certain others and has continued to look strong and with a significant role to play thereafter.
This season he has started impressively again, helping Real toward the top of La Liga.
14. Yaya Toure
10 of 23
Manchester City central midfielder Yaya Toure was an enormous player for his team last season, dragging them to victory at times and coming to increasing prominence and importance as the end of the season drew close—where City and Toure ended up lifting the league title.
He would certainly be higher on this list had he been able to maintain that form into the start of this season, but the Ivorian has started slower than usual and so falls out of our top 10 reckoning.
Toure featured at the World Cup for a rather average Ivory Coast side.
13. Thibaut Courtois
11 of 23
Thibaut Courtois was one of the top 'keepers not only in Spain last year but in the entire world.
He excelled in his third consecutive campaign with Atletico Madrid, with his reactions and reflexes helping Atleti to a La Liga title and the final of the UEFA Champions League.
Courtois then performed well at the World Cup, having won himself the No. 1 jersey with Belgium, and returned to parent club Chelsea this season to win the No. 1 spot off Pet Cech and become their new starting stopper.
12. Toni Kroos
12 of 23
Another Bundesliga-World Cup double winner, Toni Kroos was excellent for Bayern, critical for Germany and is now showing sublime form for Real Madrid.
His ability to dictate play and show enviable levels of longevity in his form make him almost impossible to leave out.
For some idea of the consistency and excellence of Toni Kroos this year, consider that nobody has made more passes than him during the year, per Opta.
11. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
13 of 23
The top scorer in Ligue 1 again last season, Zlatan Ibrahimovic continues to show he is getting better with age and leads the line for PSG in a manner few can match.
The Swedish striker was not present at the World Cup as his nation didn't make it, but it was hardly down to a lack of impact on Zlatan's part—he hit both goals in a 2-3 reversal against Portugal which knocked them out in the play-offs.
This season he started exceptionally once more, scoring five in five before injury took hold.
10. Gareth Bale
14 of 23
Gareth Bale had a whole lot of expectation on him last year after becoming the world's most expensive player, but after a few weeks to settle down at Real Madrid, he set about showing why they wanted to bring him to Spain at great expense.
Bale showed his deadly prowess in the final third to create and score goals at will, contributing enormously to Real Madrid winning the Champions League in May.
He didn't feature at the World Cup but has started this season in good form once more.
9. Philipp Lahm
15 of 23
Philipp Lahm was the captain who lifted the World Cup for Germany this summer, having impressed both at central midfield and full-back once more in Brazil 2014.
Before that, Lahm was central—in the park and figuratively to their technical excellence—to Bayern's stroll to the Bundesliga title, showing all the great tactical mastery and awareness of the game which saw manager Pep Guardiola want him to relocate to the midfield area.
In either position this season, he once more looks every inch one of the world's top players.
8. Bastian Schweinsteiger
16 of 23
Lahm's team-mate Bastian Schweinsteiger largely mirrors his shorter team-mate: excellent in the second half of 2013-14 and way beyond that in Brazil 2014.
Schweinsteiger was, in fact, arguably one of those who actually enhanced an already enormous reputation during the World Cup, dominating every opponent and rarely putting a foot wrong throughout, en route to a deserved win for himself and his nation.
Injury has curtailed this season so far and any chance to really put his name forward as a potential winner of the award.
7. Andres Iniesta
17 of 23
One of the few Spanish national team players who escaped without some criticism or (realistic) thought of being replaced after the disastrous World Cup, Andres Iniesta remained near the top of his game for Spain at Brazil 2014 even as others dipped considerably.
For Barcelona, he was the best player in the team—outside of a certain No. 10—for the entirety of the campaign, even when the side as a whole trailed off toward the end of the season.
Iniesta's poise, creativity and consistency continue to mark him out as one of the game's best middle-to-final-third players.
6. Diego Costa
18 of 23
Diego Costa was nothing short of phenomenal for the whole of 2013-14 at club level and has started this campaign proving it was far from a one-season fluke.
He averaged close to a goal a game as he fired Atletico Madrid to La Liga title and the Champions League final and has begun life at Chelsea after a huge money move in similar fashion, already totalling nine league goals.
Costa might have gotten higher, into the final selections perhaps, had he managed a similar impact with Spain—but the Brazilian-born forward hasn't found his feet in la seleccion just yet.
5. Manuel Neuer
19 of 23
The best goalkeeper in the world, and there's not even much of a question about it.
Manuel Neuer is great at all the "modern" attributes a 'keeper needs—reading the game, a high starting point, distribution, control of the ball and so on—but is similarly top drawer at all the basics, including his concentration, organisation of the defence and his utterly unbelievable shot-stopping ability.
Germany and Bayern Munich both benefited enormously from his talents during 2014, as the Bundesliga title and World Cup medal he now holds will attest to.
4. Angel Di Maria
20 of 23
One of the best midfielders in La Liga last season, Angel Di Maria moved infield to the centre of Real Madrid's 4-3-3 system in the second half of 2013-14—and ran riot as his key strengths were used to full effect.
His powerful dribbling and willingness to burst beyond the midfield line was an unstoppable trait of the team in the latter stages of the campaign, particularly in Europe where he ended with the Champions League title.
For Argentina at the World Cup, Di Maria was heavily involved in the early stages and injured later on, missing the final, before a move to Manchester United where he has once more shown good form from the centre of the park.
3. Arjen Robben
21 of 23
Into the top three now, starting with Bayern Munich and Netherlands forward Arjen Robben.
The Dutchman gets his share of criticism for his single-minded nature at times, but is there any doubt it brings massive dividends? He flies in off the right side or through the centre of the park, beating defenders for fun and scoring more now than he ever managed in his younger years.
For Netherlands at the World Cup, he was a critical player with his pace and dribbling, playing as a second forward, and this season for Bayern he has quickly forged good partnerships with new attacking players and continues to reap the benefits of his own consistency and eye for goal.
2. Lionel Messi
22 of 23
The top two most years in the modern era and again this time—with Lionel Messi second.
His injuries and Barcelona's up-and-down form perhaps prevented Messi from reaching his very highest levels of play at times, yet he still managed an improbable strike rate, was unstoppable with his running and dribbling at times and dragged Argentina through the early rounds of the World Cup—even if perhaps he didn't deserve his "best player" tag by the end of it.
At the start of 2014-15, however, he looks very much back to his best: committed, hard-working, full of acceleration and goals and creating more chances than anyone else.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
23 of 23
In all honesty it's not even close, though; Cristiano Ronaldo has been far and away the best and most decisive player on the planet during 2014, displaying ridiculous levels of goalscoring in the first half of the year and somehow bettering that since August.
Consistency isn't even the word here, with the Portuguese forward needing a whole new word to describe his ability to impact on matches week after week, month after month.
He was the one to get Portugal to the World Cup with a tremendous hat-trick in the play-offs, though not even he could do too much about the nation's poor performance in Brazil 2014.
Ronaldo, though, is more than deserving to retain the award he won last year and was unarguably the biggest part of Real Madrid's Champions League win in May, as well as their return to top form in early 2014-15.
.png?w=600 "Who Will Panthers Take at No. 9 ? 🤔")
