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The final list for the 2014 FIFA Ballon D’or is out and the three-man shortlist includes Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer. The FIFA Ballon D’or was created in 2010 after France Football’s Balldon D’or and the FIFA World Player of the Year awards were merged. The voters include captains of international teams, international coaches and journalists. So who deserves to win it?
Manuel Neuer
It was always going to be the case of who would complete the three-man shortlist after Messi and Ronaldo, and Manuel Neuer is the right choice. He has inarguably been the best in his position, even re-defining the role as he brought back the sweeper-keeper to the modern game.
Why he deserves to win it: FIFA President Sepp Blatter had claimed that Neuer should have won the Golden Ball for Best Player of the Tournament in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, instead of Messi, while Platini has gone on record to say that the winner should come from a World Cup winning team. There’s no denying that Neuer has revolutionised goalkeeping, coming out of his box to help his team defend and attack! He was instrumental in the World Cup which Germany won and helped his club side Bayern Munich to the domestic cup and the league.
Why he doesn’t deserve it: Only one goalkeeper – Lev Yashin in 1963 – has ever won the award and the last time a goalkeeper made the shortlist was in Gianluigi Buffon in 2006. Also, rather than being the most outstanding player in the last year, an argument can be made that he was a vital cog in two very successful teams.
Lionel Messi
The winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year Award in 2009, 10, 11 and 12, Lionel Messi had an underwhelming year by his own high standards.
Why he deserves to win it: He was adjudged the best player in the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil, broke the all-time scoring records of both the Champions League and La Liga. And he has done all this before his 28th birthday.
Why he doesn’t deserve it: Messi might have led his country to the final of the World Cup but he was underwhelming against Germany. He also failed to win any awards with his club this season. While he might have won it in any other year, the fact remains that he has not been better than Ronaldo in the last year.
Cristiano Ronaldo
While Ronaldo was underwhelming at the World Cup – with many believing he carried an injury – he has been magnificent before and after it.
Why he deserves to win it: Ronaldo scored 31 goals in 30 league games in La Liga and helped Real Madrid win La Decima – their tenth UEFA Champions League trophy and scored 17 times in that competition as well!
Why he doesn’t deserve to win it: The only logical argument for Ronaldo not winning the trophy would be his underwhelming World Cup campaign where Portugal went out in the group stages. And there seems to be some resentment against him from the powers-that-be with UEFA President Michel Platini asserting that a World Cup winner should win the prize. This led Real Madrid to come out in defence of their star asset. They said in a statement:
‘Firstly, we are surprised at the repeated comments regarding his [Platini’s] personal preferences over the choice of winner of the Ballon d’Or, particularly given that he is the head of European football’s principal body, where our understanding is that the strictest impartiality should prevail. Secondly, the Ballon d’Or is an individual rather than collective prize which is awarded annually to the best player in the world, and we believe that, in order to maintain its prestige, those who participate in the vote should take into account exclusively the individual professional achievements of the players. Finally, we believe that Cristiano Ronaldo has without doubt had his best ever professional year individually and he is deserving of the Ballon d’Or.’
Logically speaking, it would be sacrilege if Neuer or Messi were to take away the prize from Ronaldo. He was without doubt, the best individual player over the last year. And that’s what the award is about!
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