Power Ranking Real Madrid's FIFA Ballon d'Or 2015 Shortlist Contenders
The shortlist—nicknamed the "longlist" by some—for the 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or was announced in early October. Unsurprisingly, La Liga hosts an entire platoon of the nominations for this year's trophy, including two players who have won it the last seven years between them.
Per the Guardian, seven of the 59 names on the shortlist come from Real Madrid. Here we rank them in order of likelihood to win the award based on their appearances and performances during 2015.
We're not just looking at goals and assists, but the level of display, the overall contribution to Real's progress and indeed that of their respective nations. The period covered is the calendar year—the second half of 2014-15 and the first half of the current season.
During 2015, Real Madrid have so far played 43 matches and will have played around 56 by the close of the year, culminating in a runner-up spot in La Liga last year along with a Champions League semi-final exit and round-of-16 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey.
7. Luka Modric
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With a greater resilience to injuries, Luka Modric is either a top-10 player in world football or extremely close to it.
He is an unbelievable controller of the game, simultaneously winning the ball back with tenacity and aggressive running in midfield and dictating the tempo and rhythm of his team's attempts to penetrate. He can dribble, play quick return passes, has great vision and can surge forward from deep to great effect—but only for a handful of games at a time at the moment, seemingly.
Extrapolate his performances over a season, and Real Madrid have the world-beater they saw in 2013-14. But last season, hamstring and knee injuries saw Modric play only six Liga matches and two Champions League games in 2015.
This term, he has featured in all but one league game, but that's not enough to consider the Croatian a contender.
6. Gareth Bale
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Gareth Bale finished the 2013-14 season on a high with his Champions League final goal, but he didn't extend that into a complete campaign last year. By the second half of the season—2015, our focus—Bale was playing plenty but not at his best level and was criticised for not scoring regularly.
From February until the end of the season, he only scored three league goals and only completed 90 minutes twice in the last eight matches. In the Champions League, he didn't score at all in the knockout phase.
This term has been hit-and-miss; he was integral to new manager Rafael Benitez's early-season plans, but injuries to Bale and those around him have disrupted both form and the system that was in place. He hasn't shone beyond a couple of fixtures and must be considered rank outsider among the Real players to trouble the winners of the Ballon d'Or.
One huge positive for Bale is at the international level—he helped Wales qualify for Euro 2016 with a series of vital performances and goals in qualifying.
5. Karim Benzema
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French striker Karim Benzema was one of Carlo Ancelotti's undroppable forwards, playing almost every league game throughout the season until April, when he got injured.
After a lean spell in terms of goals over winter, Benzema started firing again in late January, netting five in six Liga games—but he was inconsistent thereafter, only scoring in two different fixtures up to the end of the season, once in the league and once in Europe.
Benzema's game isn't only about goals, though; his selfless running, work rate and link play outside the box enable the attacking midfielders around him to be involved in the penalty area for Real Madrid, and he shows great awareness with his movement and one-touch passing.
This term started with the No. 9 scoring six goals in six games, but injuries have seen him left out, and he has complained about being substituted in lots of games. At the international level, Benzema is pretty much first choice for France without really performing to jaw-dropping levels. With great competition for places now, he'll likely have to do better to remain in place beyond Euro 2016.
Benzema is an extremely effective striker and pivotal to Real's overall game plan but maybe lacks the consistency to have a truly elite season and win the Ballon d'Or.
4. Toni Kroos
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Toni Kroos was so influential in Real Madrid's midfield last season he was rarely allowed a game away from the pitch. While that highlights his enormous quality and importance, the lack of rest time also contributed to a severe downturn in form in the latter half of the campaign, and his chances of winning have been affected accordingly.
Kroos' set-piece delivery, his ball retention and, to be fair, his improvement in winning back the ball off opposition teams are all part of what makes him near irreplaceable to the side, but there is no doubt his altered role at Real Madrid has made Kroos a different player.
He no longer has the automatic inclination to drive toward the box and shoot from range or play one-touch, incisive through passes. Instead, he's a more measured creative threat from deep, spraying the ball to shift defences instead of trying to surgically pierce them.
This season, Kroos hasn't quite been at his effective best, but he is and will remain a core component of the regular XI. At international level, Kroos remains a first choice for Germany, though he (like the national team) has not reached the levels of consistency or quality shown at the 2014 World Cup.
3. James Rodriguez
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The single factor stopping James Rodriguez making a bigger run for second—or even first—in this list is his fitness.
Rodriguez has been stunning since moving to Real Madrid, combining sublime skill on the ball with work rate, goalscoring ability and tactical versatility. His free-kicks, ability to attack the far post unmarked and audacious attempts from range have seen him manage a very impressive strike rate for the club—but the number of games he has missed is a massive downside.
A broken foot saw James miss two months of Liga action in the new year, as well as the last 16 of the Champions League. However, as soon as he was fit again, he resumed his dual role of creator and scorer.
This season, though, he has barely totalled 100 minutes on the pitch as a result of a late return after summer exertions with his nation and suffering another muscle injury on international duty. With Colombia, James helped his nation to the quarter-finals of the Copa America over the summer.
He is an outrageously talented player who must be considered a serious contender to win this award in the future—if he can stay fit for entire seasons.
2. Sergio Ramos
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Real Madrid's first-choice centre-back and current captain, Sergio Ramos' game is known to all. He is aggressive, aerially strong, has great technique on the ball and has both good reading of the game and recovery pace. He is also guaranteed to be absent during the season through injury and suspension.
Ramos missed nine of Real's 22 Liga games over the second half of last term, as well as four of the nine so far this year. Even so, if he's fit, he's in—such is his reliability and importance to the side and his standing within the club. The Spain international usually offers a decent goal threat too but has only scored twice in 2015.
His run of form in the second half of the season pushed Real on in the title fight, which they ultimately lost, but he was impressive nonetheless. With Spain, Ramos is consistently involved and first choice, though the side as a whole has not starred in 2015.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
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One of the front-runners to win the Ballon d'Or and the current holder of the award, Cristiano Ronaldo has once again been hugely impressive with his levels of consistency as much as his quality.
Fast paced, great skills in one-on-one situations, a physique that lets him beat any defender for strength and acceleration and a tremendous ability in the air make Ronaldo a dreadful prospect to deal with for the opposition.
Ronaldo was the leading scorer in La Liga last term with 48 goals, netting 18 between mid-March and season's end. He improbably finished the campaign with three hat-tricks in the final four league games. He also scored five Champions League goals in Real Madrid's six knockout games.
This term, he is yet to hit his true heights, despite a five-goal haul in one game early in the season, but the fact Real Madrid are the league's top scorers and top of the table anyway will only serve to give him the confidence he can continue to thrive and have a huge impact. With Portugal he has once more qualified for a major tournament, and Ronaldo will still retain hope of winning this year's Ballon d'Or.
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