The Ballon d'Or may be the most prestigious individual prize a footballer can win, but a deeper look at the voting leaves a feeling of b...
The Ballon d'Or may be the most prestigious individual prize a footballer can win, but a deeper look at the voting leaves a feeling of bemusement and frustration.
Cristiano Ronaldo may have quite rightly been voted the world's best player on Monday night - his second consecutive win and third overall - and gushed about Lionel Messi, hailing his great rival for helping him become a better player.
But the Real Madrid superstar could not bring himself to include Messi in his top three players in the world, instead choosing to opt for team-mates Sergio Ramos, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema.
Equally Messi, despite saying Ronaldo deserved to win, voted for Argentina team-mates Angel di Maria and Javier Mascherano and Barcelona buddy Andres Iniesta.
Are the world's two best players really that petty that they can't recognise the other's achievements on paper?
But let's be clear, Ronaldo and Messi are not the only ones who simply 'vote for the boys'.
Vincent Kompany, captain of Belgium, deemed international team-mates Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard as the world's two best players with Arjen Robben third. No Ronaldo, no Messi, no Manuel Neuer. Really, Vincent?
The votes aren't borne out of who deserves it but just sheer sentiment!
Here is a look at who some top players and managers voted for
Selected Captain Votes For Ballon D'or
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 1. Angel di Maria 2. Andres Iniesta 3. Javier Mascherano
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – 1. Sergio Ramos 2. Gareth Bale 3. Karim Benzema
- Iker Casillas (Spain) – 1. Cristiano Ronaldo 2. Sergio Ramos 3. Thomas Mueller
- Neymar (Brazil) – 1. Lionel Messi 2. Cristiano Ronaldo 3. Javier Mascherano
- Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany) – 1. Manuel Neuer 2. Philipp Lahm 3. Thomas Muller
- Robin van Persie (Holland) – 1. Arjen Robben 2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic 2. Manuel Neuer
- Diego Godin (Uruguay) – 1. Diego Costa 2.Thibaut Courtois 3. Arjen Robben
- Ashley Williams (Wales) – 1. Gareth Bale 2. Bastian Schweinsteiger 3. Eden Hazard
- Vincent Kompany (Belgium) – 1.Thibaut Courtois 2. Eden Hazard 3. Arjen Robben
- Radamel Falcao (Colombia) – 1. James Rodriguez 2. Cristiano Ronaldo 3. Angel di Maria
- Wayne Rooney (England) – 1. Cristiano Ronaldo 2. Toni Kroos 3. Gareth Bale
- Hugo Lloris (France) – 1. Cristiano Ronaldo 2. Karim Benzema 3. Manuel Neuer
Selected Manager Votes For Ballon D'or
- Gerardo Martino (Argentina) – 1. Lionel Messi 2. Angel di Maria 3. Javier Mascherano
- Marc Wilmots (Belgium) – 1. Arjen Robben 2. Manuel Neuer 3. Thibaut Courtois
- Dunga (Brazil) – 1. Neymar 2. Cristiano Ronaldo 3. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
- Jose Pekerman (Colombia) – 1. Jamez Rodriguez 2. Lionel Messi 3. Cristiano Ronaldo
- Didier Deschamps (France) – 1. Cristiano Ronaldo 2. Manuel Neuer 3. Karim Benzema
- Joachim Low (Germany) – 1. Manuel Neuer 2. Philipp Lahm 3. Bastian Schweinsteiger
- Guus Hiddink (Holland)– 1. Arjen Robben 2. Thomas Mueller 3. Cristiano Ronaldo
- Jurgen Klinsmann (USA) – 1. Manuel Neuer 2. Cristiano Ronaldo 3. Arjen Robben
- Chris Coleman (Wales)– 1. Gareth Bale 2. Cristiano Ronaldo 3. Bastian Schweinsteiger
Source: Dailymail Football