Ballon d'Or 2015: Predictions and Odds for This Year's Final 3 and Winner
Such is the duopoly boasted by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi when it comes to the Ballon d’Or—the revered pair have picked up the last seven awards between them—it’s difficult to see any other stars of world football muscling their way into this elite company.
But the beginning of a new calendar year is an ideal time to ponder which players have the class to make a real run for the award in 12 months' time. After all, the aforementioned footballing juggernauts can’t go on forever, can they?
Here’s who the bookmakers think will be in the running for the 2015 award and a closer look at the potential contenders to be named as the world’s best player this time next year.
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| Cristiano Ronaldo | 6/4 |
| Lionel Messi | 9/4 |
| Neymar | 16/1 |
| Alexis Sanchez | 20/1 |
| Eden Hazard | 20/1 |
| Diego Costa | 20/1 |
| Cesc Fabregas | 20/1 |
| Arjen Robben | 25/1 |
| Luis Suarez | 25/1 |
| Manuel Neuer | 33/1 |
| Gareth Bale | 33/1 |
The “Big Two”
After winning this trophy for the second consecutive season it’s little surprise that Ronaldo is top of the market again. The Real Madrid forward has actually taken his game to stratospheric new heights this season and, if he preserves the dazzling form he has showcased in the early stages of the campaign, it’s difficult to see anyone wrestling away his crown.
Bleacher Report's Janusz Michallik takes a look at whether he was a deserving winner this time round:
The Portuguese forward claimed he has no intentions of letting his standards slip in 2015 either, per the Real Madrid Twitter account:
At this juncture it looks as though Ronaldo will probably top Messi in terms of goals for 2015, but how the latter fares throughout the year will certainly be a cause for intrigue. Luis Enrique has deployed the genial Argentine in a role on the right wing in recent weeks and it’s a refreshing change of position that Messi and his teammates look to be relishing.
He admitted recently that winning honours with his club is much more important than individual accolades however, per messi10stats:
"Messi: "5th Ballon d'Or next year? I hope to win trophies with the team, not thinking about individual trophies." pic.twitter.com/mhSwK6n0Ha
— Leo Messi (@messi10stats) January 13, 2015"
Indeed, the Barcelona man’s output in terms of goals may suffer as a result, but we’ve already seen in recent matches—such as the 3-1 win over Atletico Madrid—that his influence on games in terms of general play and assists is much more prevalent; the tantalising triumvirate of Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez finally looks to be clicking into gear.
Michallik also took a look at how he feels Messi will respond to Ronaldo's second win in succession:
Ultimately, how their respective teammates fare will have a lot to do with who is named winner next year. Team success plays a massive role in the distribution of this award and, although Messi remains an irrepressible influence with the Blaugrana, at this juncture it's Los Blancos who look better set for glory in 2015.
Outside Chances
Neymar is a man who will be hopeful of making it a golden year for Barcelona and, after enjoying an exceptional 2014/15 season to this point, the mercurial Brazilian finally looks to be showing his very best form at the Catalan club.
It’ll be tough for him to emerge from Messi’s eminent shadow at the Camp Nou you suspect, but if he continues to score goals for the Blaugrana and help fire the team to major honours in 2015, it’d be peculiar if he wasn’t included in the top three.
You just wonder if he’d managed to stay fit and haul Brazil to World Cup glory in the summer whether 2014 could have been his best chance. Sadly, his tournament and consequentially the Selecao's World Cup hopes were ruthlessly curtailed prematurely.
Aside from the Barcelona man there are a host of players who will feel as though they have a wonderful chance of making it into the coveted final three. Bayern Munich’s Arjen Robben is a player who seems to be improving season upon season and, given the swagger with which the German champions have played earlier in the campaign, he’s a player who could help his team to myriad glories in 2015.
He did make it into the FifPro World XI this season, as noted here by the Bundesliga Twitter account:
Premier League representation is also prevalent but unlikely to yield a winner. The bookmakers are making Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez and Chelsea’s trio Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas the league’s four most likely candidates. And although they are all excellent talents in their own right, you suspect it’s going to take something very, very special if they are to force their way into the company of Ronaldo, Messi et al.
Prediction
At this juncture, Carlo Ancelotti’s formidable team have created the perfect underpinning platform for Ronaldo to flourish, so he should pick up more honours and score more goals in the coming year. By contrast, Messi is currently helping haul an offensively loaded squad to results, but that imbalance will eventually catch up with Barcelona as the year rolls on.
With that in mind, expect Cristiano to be stood proudly on the podium with his fourth Ballon d’Or in hand in 12 months' time.
