Power Ranking All 23 FIFA Ballon d'Or 2015 Shortlist Contenders

Last week, FIFA released its 23-man shortlist for the 2015 Ballon d'Or award.

The award recognizes the best player in the world, and the winner will accept the trophy on Jan. 11, 2016. But you don't have to wait that long.

Today, Bleacher Report is power-ranking all 23 names on the shortlist. Any such ranking will be subjective in the end, but we've tried to make our selections with as little bias as possible. Thus we evaluated players on many levels, including statistics, importance to their team and their performances in critical situations.

Finally, if two players were more or less on par with each other, we took into account how their teams fared at both the club and international level.

Keep reading for our full rankings.

Full Shortlist

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Here is a look at the full shortlist, courtesy of FIFA.com:

Sergio Aguero (Manchester City, Argentina)

Gareth Bale (Real Madrid, Wales)

Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, France)

Kevin De Bruyne (Wolfsburg/Manchester City, Belgium)

Eden Hazard (Chelsea, Belgium)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain, Sweden)

Andres Iniesta (Barcelona, Spain)

Toni Kroos (Real Madrid, Germany)

Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich, Poland)

Javier Mascherano (Barcelona, Argentina)

Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina)

Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich, Germany)

Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich, Germany)

Neymar (Barcelona, Brazil)

Paul Pogba (Juventus, France)

Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona, Croatia)

Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich, Netherlands)

James Rodríguez (Real Madrid, Colombia)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, Portugal)

Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal, Chile)

Luis Suarez (Barcelona, Uruguay)

Yaya Toure (Manchester City, Ivory Coast)

Arturo Vidal (Juventus/Bayern Munich, Chile)

23-16

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23. Yaya Toure

Toure was not his powerful, dominant best at the club level early in 2015, as Manchester City failed to defend their Premier League title. One would say he's only on the list because of past accomplishments, but he did help guide Ivory Coast to its first Africa Cup of Nations title since 1992.

22. Kevin De Bruyne

The 24-year-old Belgian is undoubtedly a top talent with the potential to rank among the game's best. He's not there yet, however, and only makes the list this season because of his potential.

21. Gareth Bale

Bale endured a tough second season at Real Madrid and would likely not appear on the shortlist if not for his influential performances for Wales, which he has guided to Euro 2016 qualification.

20. Karim Benzema

Benzema scored 15 league goals for Real Madrid in 2014-15, netting six more in six games (so far) this term. Those are good numbers, but the Frenchman isn't even among the top two or three best players at his own club.

19. Arjen Robben

When he's been fit in 2015, Robben has been his usual self, tormenting defenses with his mercurial dribbling skills. The simple problem is that Robben hasn't been fit enough of the time.

18. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan is a fabulous player, and he did score 30 goals in all competitions for Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain in 2014-15. However, PSG were unable to advance past the Champions League semifinals, and one can't help but think Ibra could face a stiffer challenge in another league.

17. Javier Mascherano

Mascherano is an unsung hero for Barcelona, quietly performing vital functions for the Catalan side in defensive midfield and central defense. As such an unflashy player, he'll never receive serious consideration for the prize, but it's nice to see him recognized with a deserved place on the shortlist.

16. Toni Kroos

Kroos transitioned smoothly from Bayern Munich to Real Madrid in 2014-15, quickly establishing himself as indispensable to the latter with his deep-lying creative skills and incisive set-piece deliveries. 

15-11

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15. Sergio Aguero

Aguero ranks among the top finishers in the world at the moment, and like a few others on this list, he'd probably feature higher if not for injuries. 

14. Paul Pogba

At 22, Pogba has already cemented his status as one of Europe's top midfielders. He showed his massive potential as Juventus won a league and cup double last season and advanced to the UEFA Champions League final. Just wait until he reaches his peak.

13. James Rodriguez

Following his breakout performance at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Rodriguez enjoyed a successful first season with Real Madrid in 2014-15, frequently demonstrating his brilliance as both a creator and scorer. In 29 matches in La Liga, the Colombian netted 13 goals and assisted 13 more, as per WhoScored.com. Only injuries held him back from placing even higher on this list.

12. Arturo Vidal

Vidal, a 28-year-old midfielder, proved integral for both Juventus and Chile in 2015. He helped the former claim a league-and-cup double in Italy, and his performances were key as Chile claimed a first-ever Copa America title on home soil. Now with Bayern Munich, Vidal is just getting started.

11. Ivan Rakitic

How does one replace a player like Xavi at Barcelona? Rakitic has done so amazingly well, and not by playing like the legend, but by being himself. The Croatian was superb for Barca as a box-to-box midfielder, making important contributions in both the attacking and defensive thirds. Perhaps the most important came in the Champions League final, when he scored the opening goal.

10-6

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10. Eden Hazard

Hazard represented the best of the Premier League last season, deservedly winning the PFA and FWA Player of the Year awards as Chelsea claimed the league title. The Belgian's form has dropped alarmingly since the start of the new season, however, and the Blues are struggling tremendously to defend their title. That's why Hazard ranks a bit lower than some might suspect.

9. Alexis Sanchez

Sanchez enjoyed an excellent first season with Arsenal, earning a spot in the PFA Team of the Season. He also scored a brilliant goal and assisted another in the FA Cup final win over Aston Villa. At the international level, the hardworking forward helped lead Chile to its first Copa America title, netting the decisive penalty in the shootout to beat Argentina in the final.

8. Andres Iniesta

By his own standards, Iniesta did not have his best year in 2015. He did, however, captain Barcelona to the treble and helped Spain qualify for Euro 2016. While his scoring output was down, he was highly influential at both the club and international level, starring for Barca in the Champions League final. 

7. Thomas Muller

For Muller, a return of 13 goals in 32 Bundesliga matches last season must have felt low. But there's no doubting the German international forward's importance to Bayern. His movement off the ball is exceptional, and his finishing is lethal, if not always beautiful. So far this season, he has netted 10 times in 10 games as Bayern head inexorably to yet another league title.

6. Manuel Neuer

Bayern "only" made it to the Champions League semifinals last season, meaning Neuer likely won't replicate his third-place finish from a year ago. However, he remains the top goalkeeper in the world and deserves huge credit for ushering in a new style of play at his position.

5. Robert Lewandowski

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Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski has been in irrepressible form lately. Starting with five quick-fire goals against Wolfsburg in a substitute's appearance, the Poland international went on an unbelievable run of 15 goals in six games for club and country.

Through 12 matches for Bayern in the Bundesliga and Champions League this season, Lewandowski has netted an amazing 16 goals. But as brilliant as he's been this term, he can't feature ahead of any of the remaining four players in our rankings based on honors won and goals scored.

Lewandowski finished 2014-15 with 25 goals in all competitions for Bayern, who claimed yet another Bundesliga title. But as we'll see, others on this list accomplished more in 2015.

4. Luis Suarez

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After joining Barcelona from Liverpool in 2014, Luis Suarez needed some time to find his best form. But he did exactly that in 2015, becoming a critical component of Barca's drive to the treble.

The Uruguayan featured in the middle of the attack, allowing Messi more space to exploit on the flanks. But he was by no means just a decoy. In 27 league appearances, Suarez scored 16 goals, adding seven more in 10 Champions League games.

So far this term, he has scored seven times in eight league games and is set to take on an even more important role in Lionel Messi's absence.

As the Telegraph noted, it hasn't just been about the numbers with Suarez:

"

This was the year Suarez proved that he truly belonged among the elite of club football. He has already plundered 25 goals for club and country, but perhaps more important has been the moments in which he has struck—particularly for Barcelona: a brace against Manchester City in the Champions League, the crucial goal against Real Madrid in the Clasico in March; a double in the Champions League semi-final away leg at Paris Saint-Germain; and, of course, a goal in the final itself against Juventus. A man for the big occasions.

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It speaks volumes that Suarez has largely been able to move past the stigma he created for himself with his disciplinary issues. The Uruguayan managed to stand out in a loaded Barcelona lineup in 2015, and the best may be yet to come.

3. Neymar

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Still just 23, Neymar has ranked among the world's best for so long that it's hard to remember just how young he is. But he played like a savvy veteran down the stretch for Barca, scoring three times over two legs against Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinals and once again in the final against Juventus.

The Brazil international also netted important goals in the league, as well as Barca's second in the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao. His 39 goals in all competitions were critical in the Catalan side's charge to the treble.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

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Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or each of the past two years and ranks among the top contenders again this year. In 2015, the Portuguese superstar racked up 51 goals and 17 assists as of Oct. 20, according to Yahoo Sports, and he also passed Raul as Real Madrid's all-time leading scorer.

B/R's Karl Matchett notes:

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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. …

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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However, Real Madrid finished the 2014-15 season without a trophy and Ronaldo's offensive totals were not as good as the top player in our rankings. So while he's been amazing yet again, his hold on the Ballon d'Or seems to be in jeopardy. 

1. Lionel Messi

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Who else could it be? This might be a predictable choice, but it's also the correct one.

As great as Ronaldo was in 2015, Lionel Messi was better. As of Oct. 20, he had scored 57 goals and recorded 22 assists, per Yahoo Sports. And those totals helped Barcelona win a treble of trophies in 2015.

At the international level, Messi experienced disappointment, though, as Argentina lost the Copa America final to Chile on penalties. But that can't take away from the 28-year-old's brilliance. Despite being sidelined with an injury in recent weeks, Messi has already done enough to reclaim the Ballon d'Or.