Making and Breaking the Case for Each Ballon D'Or Finalist
The Ballon d'Or ceremony is fast approaching, and each finalist—Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Manuel Neuer—is worthy of consideration. Unsurprisingly, Ronaldo is the hot favourite after a stellar 2014. But could Neuer do the impossible and win?
Here we make and break the case for each finalist.
Lionel Messi
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Four-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi was unseated by Ronaldo last time around but put in a strong showing in 2014. Despite suggestions it was a down year for him, the Argentinian ace racked up 58 goals and 21 assists in 66 appearances for club and country.
As the below video demonstrates, Messi continued to dazzle with his magic left foot, burst of pace and incredible finishing ability.
Along the way, Messi became the all-time leading scorer in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, as well as helping Argentina to the World Cup final.
Some down year.
However, despite Messi's brilliance, his Barcelona team did the unthinkable. For the first time since 2008, the Catalan giants failed to win a single trophy. Andres Iniesta has been quick to stress this shouldn't affect the voting.
Per Joe Wright of Goal.com, Iniesta told Marca: "The Ballon d'Or is not decided by titles but by a vote of people who believe a player deserves it because they are the best. For me, the number one is Leo. Today and always."
Of course, Iniesta isn't the only Barca player to back Messi, but their support is practically a given, so it must be taken with a pinch of salt.
Compared with what his rivals helped their teams achieve, this must surely count against the Argentinian.
The 27-year-old won the Golden Ball at the World Cup, but despite scoring four goals, it was almost universally recognised that he didn't deserve it. Were Messi to win the Ballon d'Or, the feeling would be the same.
And if nothing else, Neuer or Ronaldo should win just to spare us seeing this tuxedo on stage again:
Cristiano Ronaldo
What a year it was for Cristiano Ronaldo.
The superstar fired Real Madrid to four trophies in 2014, including La Decima—Real's record 10th Champions League—and the Copa del Rey. He also became Portugal's leading scorer and won the European Golden Shoe, netting a phenomenal 61 goals in 60 appearances, as well as making 22 assists.
Ronaldo recently won Player of the Year at the Globe Soccer awards and remains the name on everyone's lips. Per ESPN FC, Ronaldo said: "I hope that it's a good sign."
The forward's pace (2:32, below), power (3:24) and determination (10:58), as well as his penchant for the spectacular (4:04), makes him almost impossible to argue against for the Ballon d'Or.
Spanish football commentator Eduardo Alvarez is full of praise for CR7 and the way his play has evolved:
The only real way Ronaldo disappointed was at the World Cup. Despite some ineffectual showboating (see below), the Portugal captain failed to inspire his side. His team crashed out at the group stage, and Ronaldo returned from Brazil with only a single goal to his name.
If Ronaldo wins—and he probably will—it certainly wouldn't be undeserved. But how do you compare him and Neuer?
Manuel Neuer
If there were any lingering doubts over Manuel Neuer's credentials as the best goalkeeper in the world, then 2014 unquestionably cemented his position at the top.
In 65 games for Bayern Munich and Germany, Neuer kept 32 clean sheets.
Domestically, the 28-year-old helped Bayern to a Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double. But it was on the biggest stage of all that Neuer shone. The 'keeper was an indispensable part of Germany's World Cup-winning squad, conceding just four times in the tournament and rightly being awarded the Golden Glove.
As shown below, Neuer not only possesses outstanding reflexes (0:20 and 1:38) and distribution (4:20) but almost unprecedented technical skills (0:07 and 0:36). He also reads the game brilliantly as a sweeper (1:09 and 3:08).
According to Mark Doyle of Goal.com, Neuer told Suddeutsche Zeitung:
"I'm proud just to be one of the candidates for the Ballon d'Or.
The other two players are global brands in their own right and maybe for that reason have an advantage.
"
If Messi winning the Golden Ball in Brazil is anything to go by, this probably rings true.
Further, the advantage in winning awards such as the Ballon d'Or has always rested with attacking players. Neuer is bidding to be the only the second 'keeper to win since Lev Yashin all the way back in 1963, and he is the first goalkeeper finalist since Gianluigi Buffon in 2006.
This is emblematic of the attitude of today's football fans fans, who value goals and attackers far more highly than those of a defensive proclivity.
In Chris Anderson and David Sally's The Numbers Game: Why Everything You Know About Football Is Wrong (h/t Will Hersey of Esquire), 10 years of Premier League matches revealed clean sheets produce an average of almost 2.5 points per match, while goals earn teams around 1.0 points.
Though not a definitive calculation, applying this to our finalists puts Neuer on a level playing field with Messi and Ronaldo in terms of points contribution.
According to Gianni Verschueren of Bleacher Report, to win a Ballon d'Or, a 'keeper must win a Champions League and World Cup double. But why should 'keepers be held to a higher standard than their outfield counterparts?
Neuer was the only finalist to truly shine on the world stage and was critical to Die Mannschaft claiming football's biggest prize.
Ultimately, it seems as though the Ballon d'Or is destined for Ronaldo's trophy cabinet. In fact, it's an absolute no-brainer. He's the easy option.
So maybe that's why Neuer deserves a chance. It's time Neuer—and goalkeepers everywhere—got the recognition he deserves.
