9 Reasons Why Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo Must Win the 2014 Ballon D'Or
On Monday evening, the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala to crown the world's most outstanding footballer for the previous calendar year will be held in Zurich.
In contention are Real Madrid and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, Barcelona and Argentina's Lionel Messi—both of whom have claimed the honour previously—and Bayern Munich and Germany's Manuel Neuer.
Each player, owing to a glorious individual year in 2014, can state a compelling case for the award, but it's Ronaldo who has the strongest claim.
Across the following slides, we examine nine reasons why Real Madrid's talisman should receive his second straight FIFA Ballon d'Or.
His Scoring Record Is Staggering
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Cristiano Ronaldo's goalscoring record has long been outstanding, and 2014 was the best year of his career.
With 61 goals for club and country, the Portuguese was the most prolific goalscorer on the planet, firing Real Madrid to four major titles—including the club's 10th European crown.
In the first half of the 2014-15 season, the 29-year-old has set a blistering pace, racking up 33 goals in 28 appearances for Los Blancos and storming to 26 goals in just 16 matches in La Liga.
By doing so, Ronaldo led the scoring charts in La Liga, the Champions League and Europe's top five leagues during 2014.
He Broke an Array of Individual Records...
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Unsurprisingly, Cristiano Ronaldo's rampant form in front of goal in 2014 saw the Real Madrid star break an array of individual records across the last calendar year.
With a hat-trick against Celta Vigo at the Bernabeu in December, Ronaldo registered the 23rd treble of his career in La Liga, surpassing the long-standing mark held by Alfredo Di Stefano and Telmo Zarra.
In the same game, he registered his 200th goal in the Primera Division in just his 178th appearance—the fastest anyone has achieved that milestone, per Nicholas Rigg of The Independent.
He was just as devastating on the continent, setting a new benchmark for goals in a single Champions League campaign (17) as Real Madrid stormed through Europe to the club's 10th continental title.
...And Propelled Real Madrid to Do the Same as a Team
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Though some can make it look straightforward at times, winning is hard. Doing so time and time again even more so.
To triumph incessantly, one has to combine sumptuous skill and physical gifts with the sort of mental fortitude and indomitable will that define champions.
And to understand how difficult that can be to maintain over extended periods, you only need to examine the longest winning streaks enjoyed by Europe's leading clubs in the 2014-15 season: Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City's stand at nine games, Barcelona's is eight, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Juventus have each won six in a row and Atletico Madrid's is five.
Real Madrid's is 22—a new Spanish record.
At the forefront has been Ronaldo, the club's—and the world's—dominant player, who started 20 of those games (he only missed the Copa del Rey meetings with Cornella), scored 28 goals and played a total of 1,771 minutes of a possible 1,800 in those 20 games.
As an individual and as a leader of a team, Ronaldo had no peer in 2014.
Ronaldo Led Real Madrid to 4 Titles in 2014
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As previously mentioned, Cristiano Ronaldo's success in 2014 went far beyond goalscoring.
As the standout figure in the current incarnation of Real Madrid, the Portuguese led the Spanish club to the Champions League, Copa del Rey, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.
In the most coveted of those crowns, Ronaldo was the decisive factor in Los Blancos' run to the title, as he tore Schalke, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich apart on the way to the final.
And when it boils down to it, winning is what matters.
When you combine his scoring achievements and the trophies he lifted in 2014, his case for the FIFA Ballon d'Or is comfortably the strongest of the three candidates.
He's Reinvented Himself to Continue Rising
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One of the aspects of Cristiano Ronaldo's 2014 that is too readily glossed over is how the Real Madrid star reinvented his game to suit his team and become more prolific than ever.
In previous years, we've seen the Portuguese operating as a true winger, flying up and down the left flank and terrorising defenders with his unrivalled athleticism.
But in 2014, we saw Ronaldo edge closer and closer to the role of a No. 9, refining his game and taking his talents closer to goal to maximise the efficiency of Carlo Ancelotti's side.
For Ronaldo, given his achievements, such a process may feel a little routine. But ask yourself, how many players can actually do what he's done? How many have the ability to dominate the sport on the wing and then do the same as a striker? How many have the physical attributes to succeed out wide but also the aerial ability, positional intelligence, subtle movement and finishing skills to triumph like no other as a No. 9?
He Outgunned Lionel Messi in Every Way
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If Cristiano Ronaldo is to claim his second consecutive FIFA Ballon d'Or, he must, of course, fight off competition from his rivals.
One of those is Barcelona's Lionel Messi. And for Ronaldo, his superiority over the Argentinian in 2014 was multifaceted; he both outgunned Messi in front of goal and led his team to greater success.
In the last calendar year, the Portuguese fired home 61 goals to Messi's 58, was more prolific in La Liga, more prolific in the Champions League and steered Real Madrid to the capture of the Copa del Rey, the European Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
He scored more. And he won more.
For world-class forwards, success isn't defined any other way.
The World Cup Argument for Manuel Neuer Is Flawed
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Like Lionel Messi, Manuel Neuer is a rival Cristiano Ronaldo must surpass to claim another FIFA Ballon d'Or. One of the major arguments put forward for the Bayern Munich goalkeeper is that his capture of the World Cup with Germany elevates him above his competitors.
But that theory is flawed—based on a misguided assumption that the World Cup offers the highest quality of football of any competition.
Quite simply, it doesn't. Not even close.
The Champions League does.
Writing for ESPN FC, Gabriele Marcotti summed it up best:
"There is no polite way of saying this, so I'll just get on with it: Lucas Biglia, Enzo Perez, Sergio Romero, Miroslav Klose, Christoph Kramer and Benny Howedes all started in the World Cup final. How many of them would have come close to the starting XIs of Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid last year?
You want to extend it to the losing semi-finalists? You want to talk how guys like Julio Cesar or Fred or Georginio Wijnaldum or Dirk Kuyt or Jasper Cillessen might fit in at Chelsea or Bayern?
No?
Didn't think so.
"
It's a compelling argument, which is reinforced by this statement:
"Teams exists in two states. They are collections of individuals. And they are collectives that transcend and surpass the sum of their parts.
By both measures, there is no real comparison between the Champions League and the World Cup.
"
Finding fault in Marcotti's stance is difficult, meaning Neuer's capture of the World Cup with Germany shouldn't be used to justify his case over Ronaldo.
The Yearning for Positional Variety in the Ballon d'Or Is Ridiculous
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As we prepare for the FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony, one of the schools of thought surrounding the award is that it needs a rethink or a shake-up to ensure it's not merely a goalscoring award and embraces positional variety.
As such, there are many who feel Manuel Neuer represents the ideal candidate to kick-start a period of evolution for the Ballon d'Or.
While that idea is understandable (the public inherently likes to see variety in professional sport), the award is about honouring the best.
We're not here to honour the most popular. Nor the most improved. Nor the revolutionaries. Nor sentimental favourites. Nor the nice guys. Nor the best of those who haven't already won it.
The Ballon d'Or is about recognising the best and most influential player in the game. And Cristiano Ronaldo is that player.
The yearning for variety and recognition of other players shouldn't overshadow that.
It's Simple: He Was the Standout Player in World Football in 2014
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While one can recognise the cases belonging to Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer for the 2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or, they're simply not as strong as Ronaldo's.
For the Argentinian, the argument is centred on a sparkling display at the World Cup and his still-sterling individual record in what many perceive to be one of his least impressive years.
For the German, it's based around the way he's redefined his position, won the World Cup and the point of variety he represents.
But Ronaldo tops them both, having dominated in a way no other player in the game has (see opening slides) while leading Real Madrid to unrelenting dominance in the calendar year.
He was simply the best player in world football in 2014. That's what the Ballon d'Or is about.
No other point matters.
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