Ballon D'or 2014: Analysing the Contenders and Complete Predictions

The football community is preparing to turn its attention toward Zurich, where Monday's 2014 Ballon d'Or ceremony will reveal which player was the best of the best during the last calendar year.

Cristiano Ronaldo has a great chance of retaining the trophy, but he finds himself up against stellar opponents in Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer.

Ahead of the event, we take a look at each contender, breaking down their 2014 achievements and assessing who deserves the accolade, complete with predictions regarding who will finish where.

Lionel Messi

David Ramos/Getty Images

It's now been two years since Lionel Messi won the last of his four successive Ballon d'Or titles, and the Argentinian once again looks like a back-seat contender for the 2014 trophy.

That sounds remarkable, given that his annual numbers are almost as startling as ever, but Messi's individual exploits have been marred by the lack of success Barcelona had last year.

As has been the case for months now, transfer speculation and talk of turmoil at Camp Nou have led to rumours of friction between Messi and the Barca board.

However, both BBC Sport and ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan quoted president Josep Maria Bartomeu as insisting otherwise:

Although team achievements don't—or at least shouldn't—factor into voting when picking out a Ballon d'Or winner, it's inevitable that a 2014 devoid of trophies will lead some to cast their votes elsewhere.

Nevertheless, Messi had a year to remember. In March, he became the all-time top scorer in El Clasico with his hat-trick in Barca's 4-3 against Real Madrid. Later in the year, he led Argentina to the final of the 2014 World Cup, the tournament at which he was awarded the Golden Ball, and he surpassed both the Liga and Champions League scoring records in consecutive games in November.

For club and country, the South American speedster netted 58 goals and made 21 assists in 66 appearances, having a hand in a goal once every 0.8 games on average.

Prediction: Third place

Cristiano Ronaldo

Steve Bardens/Getty Images

As only the world's finest can, Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed yet another 12 months of being the most prolific talent on the planet who regularly notches a tally of 50 goals or more in a calendar year.

To many, the Portuguese is quite simply the best there is and a deserved favourite to retain his 2013 crown. At one point in 2014, he scored in 12 successive matches for Los Merengues.

Thanks to his influence, Carlo Ancelotti's side claimed the Champions League, Copa del Rey, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, the European triumph—Real's 10th—being a particularly prestigious feat.

The 2013-14 campaign wasn't the only demonstration of Ronaldo's mastery, however, as WhoScored.com's Ben McAleer illustrates just what a talismanic figure the forward has continued to be in recent months:

Edging rival Messi in all regards, Ronaldo's record of 61 goals and 22 assists in just 60 appearances for club and country is nothing short of ridiculous.

The records have come thick and fast, with Ronaldo breaking the record for goals scored in a Champions League campaign, scoring the most goals in the competition's knockout phase and recently adding another, per Real's official Twitter account:

The past year for Ronaldo has arguably been his best to date. As such, it is reasonable to suggest that if he won in 2013, there's no reason he shouldn't keep his title after having even more success in 2014.

Prediction: Runner-Up

Manuel Neuer

Pool/Getty Images

However, there's more to football than just scoring goals, and Manuel Neuer has proved to be a master at winning games at the other end of the pitch over the past 12 months .

It's nigh impossible to determine how Bayern Munich and Germany would have fared in 2014 if they'd have had any other elite stopper between their posts.

However, neither team will care, as Neuer was so pivotal in bringing success to both sides—so much so that he could become just the second 'keeper to win a Ballon d'Or.

It's been more than half a century since Lev Yashin became the only stopper to do so, but Neuer has his backers. Per Goal.com, Diego Maradona and Andriy Shevchenko are just two former players lobbying for the German to win:

It's slightly unfair on goalkeepers that forwards and midfielders are consistently recognised as being the very elite, while even some world-class defenders can be concerned with the low support they receive in Ballon d'Or voting.

However, after a year in which his antics helped win a Bundesliga title in record speed and aided Die Mannschaft as they became the first European nation to win a World Cup in the Americas, Neuer can expect recognition this time.

Quite simply, the 28-year-old has revolutionised goalkeeping and acted more as an extra defender for club and country—a mountainous task for one who plays in a position often seen as so limited. 

As the old saying goes, while attack may win games, defence wins titles. On that note, Neuer is a rare gem who deserves appreciation for the security he's given to the teams whose goals he protects.

Prediction: Winner