The next Ballon d’Or winner will be announced on January 12, 2015, and after a year of footballing drama and excellence, the upcoming instal...
The next Ballon d’Or winner will be announced on January 12, 2015, and after a year of footballing drama and excellence, the upcoming instalment promises to be one of the most hotly contested competitions yet.
Fans were treated to a scintillating end to the 2013/14 domestic season along with a thrilling World Cup in Brazil—a tournament that threw up all manner of surprises and birthed new footballing stars.
With just three months left until the winner is announced, let’s look at five candidates for the 2014 Ballon d’Or. Let us know your picks below
5. Angel Di Maria
The fact that Angel Di Maria missed out on the World Cup final, which Argentina lost to Germany, means that Di Maria’s otherwise excellent exploits at club level only save him fifth place.
The Man of the Match in the Champions League final, the key to Real Madrid’s Decima win over Atletico Madrid and the inspiration behind a strong season at the Santiago Bernabeu, Di Maria was arguably the most important player in Real’s colors last season.
And it was Di Maria who popped up to score a 118th-minute winner against Switzerland to send Argentina into the quarterfinals of the World Cup, though an injury sustained against Belgium ruled him out of the semifinal and final.
Following the World Cup, Angel Di Maria made a sensational switch to Manchester United, where he has settled in seamlessly—becoming their most important attacking player thus far.
As the fixtures flow in thick and fast for the Red Devils, Di Maria’s responsibility will be even greater. It will be up to him to prove that Real made a mistake in letting him go and that he deserves a higher ranking on the Ballon d’Or list.
4. James Rodriguez
Every World Cup, a new star is born. While Colombia didn’t fulfill many neutral fans’ wishes and make it all the way to the final, they did put a young new face on the footballing map—James Rodriguez. The attacking midfielder's performances in Brazil also earned him a high-profile move to Real Madrid.
Rodriguez, who was still 22 years old when he played for Colombia in Brazil, had always been known as an up-and-coming star during his time at FC Porto before his big-money move to AS Monaco confirmed his status as one of the hottest talents on the European scene in 2013.
But it was his performances this summer in an entertaining Colombia side that caught the eye, and despite his country being eliminated in the quarterfinals, Rodriguez took home the Golden Boot award as the tournament’s top scorer with six goals in five matches.
After being named on the 10-man shortlist for FIFA’s Golden Ball award, Rodriguez made a lightning-quick dream switch to Real Madrid, where he has been given the iconic No. 10 jersey.
It’s still early days in Rodriguez’s career as a modern-day Galactico, especially with Carlo Ancelotti’s side still adapting to the loss of Angel Di Maria. As he continues to bed into the side, Rodriguez will grow in prominence. It might not be long before he breaks into the top three of the Ballon d’Or shortlist.
3. Lionel Messi
Even on his relative off days, Lionel Messi still never strays far from the apex of the footballing pyramid. It’s not been a vintage year for the Argentine, but he still won the Golden Ball award at the World Cup and made the history books.
A hat trick in March’s clash against Real Madrid saw him become the all-time top scorer in El Clasico history, as well as overtake Hugo Sanchez as the second-highest goalscorer in La Liga.
Injuries haven’t helped his 2014 calendar year, but the fact that he finished the 2013-14 season with 41 goals and 15 assists in all competitions and still had it looked upon as something of an underwhelming season shows the levels that Messi has hit in his previous years.
More recently, Messi has moved into a creator’s role in Luis Enrique’s Barcelona team, turning provider to fellow forward Neymar. A 400th professional career goal at just 27 years of age shows his phenomenal levels of consistency.
With Luis Suarez’s return to competitive action following his signing from Liverpool on the horizon, Messi will have another world-class option joining him up front at Barcelona. If he manages to make the partnership work, he might yet propel himself further up the rankings.
2. Thomas Muller
The 2014 World Cup might have been James Rodriguez’s breakout tournament, but it was the crowning achievement of Thomas Muller's already-stellar career for both Bayern Munich and Germany.
A convincing Bundesliga title win for Pep Guardiola’s Bayern established Mueller’s pivotal importance in the Bavarian side, and Joachim Low’s decision to have him lead the line for Germany in Brazil was another sign of confidence in the German forward.
Muller duly paid Low’s faith back with five goals en route to the final, opening the scoring in a memorable 7-1 win over hosts Brazil. His selfless all-round play and tactical maturity saw him emerge as a truly modern forward spearheading a young German side that look set to dominate for years to come.
Back at club level, Muller helped secure Bayern’s DFB-Pokal win over Borussia Dortmund with their second goal in extra time, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals in five matches and handing his team the 10th league and cup double in their history.
His new contract, which will keep him at Bayern until 2019, should have been a mere formality from his club’s point of view.
As Bayern continue to extend their dominance and Germany look to replicate their World Cup feats at the European Championship in two years' time, Muller is entering his peak years at the perfect time to propel his club and country to further successes.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
The one jarring aspect of Cristiano Ronaldo’s extensive resume is that he has simply not been able to lead Portugal to international glory. A disjointed group of players low on confidence was simply too much for his broad shoulders to handle this summer.
Yet, on the domestic front, Ronaldo continues to lead the way. As he rounds off his final months before turning 30, he is enjoying the form of his life with Real Madrid, setting goalscoring records almost every week.
Fresh from winning the 2013 Ballon d’Or, Ronaldo became the first player to score 10 or more goals in three consecutive Champions League campaigns in February before becoming the first to score 25 goals in five consecutive La Liga seasons in March.
His memorable celebration in the Champions League final just slightly masked the fact he finished as the competition’s top goalscorer for the second consecutive year, notching a record 17 goals in a single Champions League season.
More recently, he has somehow found another gear. With three hat tricks in his last four games, Ronaldo is now among the top 10 La Liga goalscorers of all time, with a jaw-dropping record of 186 goals in 169 La Liga appearances.
He will take some stopping if he isn’t to hoist the Ballon d’Or for the second year in a row—Carlo Ancelotti certainly thinks so (via the Daily Mail).
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