Power Ranking Bayern Munich's FIFA Ballon d'Or 2015 Shortlist Contenders

Bayern Munich were honored recently with five representatives named on the 23-man shortlist of candidates for the 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or. Only Barcelona had more nominees for the coveted individual prize than the Bundesliga champions, from whom Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer, Arjen Robben and Arturo Vidal were selected.

The list of 23 will be narrowed to three before year's end, with the final award presented on January 11, 2016. Following the revelation of the shortlist, B/R takes a look at Bayern's contenders, weighing their individual and team achievements over the course of the calendar year and speculating on how they will be perceived by voters.

Click "Begin Slideshow" to see our forecast of each player's chances of being honored in Ballon d'Or voting from least to greatest.

5) Manuel Neuer

Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Ballon d'Or voters don't like goalkeepers.

That is the lesson learned in January, when it was announced that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi finished ahead of Manuel Neuer in Ballon d'Or voting. The Germany international, who had had the best season of any goalkeeper in recent memory and who had played a huge role in his country's triumph at the 2014 World Cup, was perhaps doomed from the start because of his position.

After winning only the Bundesliga with Bayern and meeting the expectation of qualifying for Euro 2016 with Germany this year, it's hard to see Neuer receiving much credit in the final Ballon d'Or vote. This isn't to say he's anything short of the world's best in his position, but Neuer simply didn't have the otherworldly 12 months of yesteryear and accordingly will not likely be rewarded.

4) Arjen Robben

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

He's played barely a handful of games in 2015-16. He featured in just 12 more during the spring. His nation failed to qualify for Euro 2016 behind the Czech Republic, Iceland and Turkey, with only Kazakhstan and Latvia behind the Netherlands in Group A. And yet Arjen Robben still managed to get his name on the Ballon d'Or shortlist.

Robben is a remarkable player of immense talent, one whose accomplishments need no introduction. But 2015 wasn't his year. He played well when fit, but that was far too infrequent to earn much recognition among Ballon d'Or voters.

However, voting for world football's greatest individual prize is often done as a popularity contest by people who aren't particularly well informed. Sad as it may be for players such as Neuer, Robben will undoubtedly get a few votes and will probably be in the top four among Bayern's representatives.

3) Thomas Muller

Kerstin Joensson/Associated Press

Thomas Muller is one of the three Bayern players with a decent chance of ranking among the top candidates for the Ballon d'Or. Although he may not have the off-field personality of Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, he still plays in an attacking role that will put him in contention. And he had a magnificent 2015 calendar year.

In all competitions for club and country, per Transfermarkt, Muller has scored 29 goals and given 14 assists in 2015. He was his country's top scorer by a mile, with nine goals in Euro 2016 qualifiers (joint-runners-up were Max Kruse, Mario Gotze and Andre Schurrle with just three apiece). And he also has the benefit of some good momentum after starting the current season in excellent form.

It's no wonder Transfermarkt recently gave his market value a massive boost from €55 million to €75 million. That improved appraisal will likely be reflected in Ballon d'Or voting.

2) Arturo Vidal

RODRIGO ARANGUA/Getty Images

Arturo Vidal is unique among Bayern's Ballon d'Or candidates in that he only moved to Munich after the conclusion of the 2014-15 campaign and also won a major international tournament during the summer. As such, he is more decorated in 2015 than any of his club teammates.

Vidal reached the Champions League final with Juventus, an improbable achievement that saw his side come within one game of winning an even more improbable treble. Then, also against steep odds, his Chile side won the Copa America ahead of Lionel Messi's Argentina.

It can be argued Vidal is not the player he was one or two years ago and that there were other key players who did more for Juve. At the same time, the hard-nosed midfielder has a reputation that will help him gather votes, and his trophy cabinet speaks for itself.

1) Robert Lewandowski

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

The one Bayern player who truly can expect to have a chance of being a finalist in Ballon d'Or voting is Robert Lewandowski. Although he won nothing more than most of his teammates, the Poland international has an incredible record for club and country this year and has momentum in his favor.

For club and country in 2015, Lewandowski has scored 41 goals, just behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (both of whom have scored 45).

The Bayern striker also helped Poland qualify for Euro 2016, scoring 13 goals, a statistic that tied David Healy of Northern Ireland's longstanding record. And critically, his tally of 23 goals in 2015-16 dwarfs the figures of all other contenders for the Ballon d'Or. Lewandowski has had a brilliant 2015 year individually, and he might just find himself on the podium in January.