Thomas Muller Calls for Ballon D'Or Overhaul If Cristiano Ronaldo Wins 2014 Gong

German World Cup winner Thomas Muller has spoken out against the voting process to decide who wins the Ballon d'Or, saying it would be "boring" if Cristiano Ronaldo retains his award over his international and club team-mate, Manuel Neuer.

Neil Rowlands of the Mirror quoted the Bayern Munich attacker speaking about the upcoming FIFA accolade—which has been shared by Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the past six years:

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If it were to happen that Cristiano Ronaldo wins, then it would be almost boring. In that case, maybe it would be an idea to reconsider the whole award and just send the title by post.

He [Neuer] is world champion and has also been in sensational form, but there is also Arjen Robben who was fantastic, for example. There were a few other players in the Germany squad who would have deserved it too.

I've already given my opinion—it's a nice event, but these individual titles are not so important to me. I see myself as a team player, which is why these votes don't count much for me.

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Ronaldo failed to have a major impact at the World Cup in Brazil but led Real Madrid to their 10th Champions League success. In contrast, Messi failed to perform to his lofty standards through much of last season's campaign but had a strong tournament in Brazil, as Argentina finished runners-up.

Muller's public opinion will displease delegates from the governing body, who have given the award more public prominence over the past decade—crowning the greatest player on the planet.

Muller himself could have been up for the title after his heroics in South America—having notched five goals during the competition, per WhoScored.com, bettering Messi's total.

However, his words can certainly be questioned considering most football fans would still place CR7 above any other top player on the planet, especially after Los Blancos' spectacular European Cup success.

Football writer Andi Thomas sympathises with Muller's view and expressed his own concerns about the voting process in his blog for SB Nation.

Thomas highlighted Madrid's political power when it comes to who wins the award:

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Whereas all Ronaldo took from the tournament was a scowl, an injured thigh, and an all-consuming need to win another, different shiny golden globe. His club, mindful of his tender ministrations that ego and drive require, have been telling everybody who will listen that the World Cup might have been fun, but doesn't really matter all that much. Goalscoring records and European Cups are what matters, not the precedents of history. 

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Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

The third party in the Ballon d'Or equation is Bayern keeper Neuer. However, despite being the best goalkeeper in the world, you would have to travel far to find a football expert who rates Neuer above Ronaldo or Messi.

Both Messi and Ronaldo are the yardstick which all world-class players are measured by, and this is how it should be.

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Both have scored an incredible amount of goals over the past six seasons, considering neither is an out-and-out striker. This makes their contribution to winning titles and trophies even more spectacular.

Ronaldo will almost certainly retain his Ballon d'Or trophy in the coming weeks but no one can say he does not deserve the accolade.

Madrid played a brilliant and fluid style of football in European competition last year and CR7 was central to this, albeit with a magnificent supporting cast.

Muller's opinion has credence, but there is nothing wrong about the cream rising to the top. It is up to other players to match both Messi and Ronaldo's incredible standards—and then surely a new king will be crowned by FIFA.