After a year of fabulous football, mind-blowing milestones and an administrative shakeup of seismic reach at the top of world football, the FIFA Ballon d’Or is finally before us.
It’s that time of the year when the football fraternity gathers to do
honour to the game’s very finest. As usual, the debate rages on over
the continued usefulness of the award, particularly in light of the
upheaval at the Zurich-based body.
It has been asserted that football is a team sport, and a
narcissistic award such as the Ballon d’Or will ultimately run at
cross-purposes with the true spirit of the game. However, team
accomplishments, whatever they may be, are not removed from individual
brilliance, hence the world waits with eager anticipation every year for
that night when the brightest stars of the game are lifted into the
heavens. The beautiful game may have taken a battering this past year,
but its power over our imaginations endures, and is very much enhanced
by the splendor of the greatest individual award in sports.
Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar do battle for Monday’s award. Image: Daily Mail
On Monday January 11, the crème de la crème of world football converge at Zurich’s
Kongresshous to witness the coronation of the game’s latest king,
inter alia.
American Carli Lloyd, Aya Miyama of Japan and Germany’s Celia Sasic
have been nominated for the female footballer of the year award, while
Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli, Bayern Munich tactician Pep Guardiola and
his Barcelona counterpart Luis Enrique will vie for the best coach
award. Also, there’s the Puskas Award (best goal) with Barcelona’s
Lionel Messi, Roma’s Alessandro Florenzi and Brazil’s Wendell Lira as
the nominees. But the big one on the night is that which is saved for
last, that which quickens the pulse and stops the earth, and is equal
parts dream and reality: the award for best male player – the Ballon
d’Or.
There were a number of standout players across Europe’s major leagues
over the past year, and as is so often the case, the final shortlist
hasn’t been without shades of subjectivity in the eyes of many. It’s
safe to say no member of the Fifa technical committee will be winning a
popularity contest anytime soon.
The public’s obsession with the supposed omissions from the lists
derives from the general suspicion that the awards have been skewed into
an exaltation of pedigree over performance, inevitably making it a
luxury commodity. Swept in the euphoria of the award, fans easily forget
that pedigree is attained after a certain level of consistency, and
that differential in fortunes is part of the enduring charm of the game.
Messi and Ronaldo have dominated the award for the past decade. Image: Fifa
Notwithstanding the pettiness accompanying most of the complaints
down the years, there’s a certain merit in the raging discontent that
greeted the announcement of this year’s final three candidates. Barcelona
talisman Lionel Messi, his clubmate Neymar and Real Madrid superstar
Cristiano Ronaldo complete the podium for this year’s award.
Conspicuous in his absence was Barcelona no 9, Luis Suarez. The
Uruguayan had a phenomenal 2015 with the Catalans following his
blockbuster move from Liverpool in the summer of 2014. His sheer
aggression and guile have been a liberating effect at the Camp Nou,
transforming a trophyless team in 2014 into treble winners at the end of
his first season. With 48 goals and 23 assists in 2015, the Uruguayan
was as worthy a candidate as anyone for the podium. But the deed is
already done and we are left with the usual suspects and the new kid on
the block to vie for the top honour. This throws up a number of
questions: who does the cap fit this time around? Would Neymar break the
7-year duopoly of Messi and Ronaldo? Would the Portugal captain win a
third award on the trot and fourth overall to cement his place in
history, or would Messi claim an unprecedented fifth trophy to reinforce
his position as the greatest ever player? We examine the chances of
each player for the coveted prize.
NEYMAR
Neymar makes his debut on the podium. Image: Telegraph
Flamboyant, energetic and ruthless, Neymar’s rise from a talented but
erratic youngster to one of the most complete footballers on the planet
has been absolutely meteoric. After a sluggish with the Blaugrana
following his big-money move from Santos, the Brazil captain has finally
found his feet at the Camp Nou. His 2015 campaign was a tour de force
as he bagged 41 goals and 23 assists in Barca’s incredible sweep of five
trophies, including 10 goals in the Champions league and the strike that buried Juventus in the final.
But the stats is only half the story, as the 23-year-old dazzled the
world with lavish ball controls, mesmerizing skills and sumptuous
finishing that had the cameras on replay. He’s been a joy to watch the
past year, and while he may not get the award yet, he definitely can’t
be far off. On this form, he’s the undisputed heir apparent to the
throne.
CRISTIANO RONALDO
C Ronaldo is the present holder of the award. Image: Soccer Laduma
Current holder of the award and three-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo
is back in familiar surroundings on the Ballon d’Or podium. The 30-year
old Portuguese has had a curious year to say the least. While he
remained clinical with 54 goals in 2015 – more than any other player –
he however fell short of winning any trophy with Real Madrid. There have
also been growing concerns regarding his overall contribution to the
team, as suggested by Real’s former Sporting director Arrigo Sacchi
after the Spanish giants fell to Juventus in the Champions League
semifinal last April.
“Ronaldo hasn’t dribbled any player since January,”
he opined. The spread of his goals also shrank with the arrival of Rafa
Benitez at the Bernabeu, and his perceived lack of influence in
big-games was exacerbated in the latest El Clasico drubbing.
His major highlight was picking up a record fourth European golden shoe
award in October after scoring 48 goals in La Liga last term. But just as that had no bearing on the title race, neither would it on the Ballon d’Or…
LIONEL MESSI
Messi magic lit up the football world yet again. Image: Guardian
Amid speculations that he’d peaked and was past his powers, Barcelona
Magician Leo Messi produced what’s arguably the greatest season in
recent memory. The 2014/15 season was a magnum opus from the diminutive
conjurer, who orchestrated a sensational treble for Luis Enrique’s side
that culminated in the World Club Cup, their fifth trophy for the year.
Playing on the right side of the dreaded ‘MSN’ attack that plundered a
staggering 137 goals, Messi recreated the sort of sublime football that
renders the Ballon d’Or debate redundant. After an indifferent start to
the season, the 28-year-old genius entered 2015 with a vengeance, taking
opponents of all shapes and sizes through punishing drills. From cheeky
nutmegs to brutal dribbles and magnificent solo runs, La Pulga was
clearly an extraterrestrial last year. Despite missing up to two months
through injury, he racked up 48 goals and 25 assists – more direct
contributions to goal than any other player – to whisk Barca to the
summit of world football. As Dutch legend Johann Cruyff said:
“It’s not about the opponents, it’s about how ridiculously good Messi is.” He already won the best player in Europe award by a landslide, and is undoubtedly on course for a fifth ballon d’Or.
As his fans love to say:
“He may be 5 foot seven; but he’s football heaven!”
The weight of his achievements is a debate for another day, but for
the moment we have to live in the magic he creates…heaven knows we can’t
get enough of them.
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