It is the most coveted individual football honour and it has never failed to cause controversy in recent years. There was much panic among football fans when last year's European Golden shoe winner and the Premier League's top scorer Luis Suarez failed to make it into the 23 men shortlist.
The football governing body has often been criticised for rewarding the wrong people with prestigious awards, such was the case when after the conclusion of the World Cup 2014 Final, it was Lionel Messi who was named the World Cup Golden Ball winner a decision which took many by surprise. Despite the fact that the Argentinean is arguably the finest player the football world has seen in a while, last year was certainly not his best and it can be said that there were players out there who did better than him.
Did Lionel Messi deserve to be in the top three?
The diminutive Argentine has mesmerised us through the years, but it can be said that last year his performances were a notch below when compared to his lofty standards. Much of this was down to an injury plagued season which notably impacted his performances and even though he finished second in La Liga's top scorer list last season it might be safe to conclude that there were players who deserved to be on the top three list more than him. His individual goal scoring record was impressive as always, but Messi failed to rise to the occasion numerous times last season.
He failed to create an impression during the title decider against Atletico Madrid and was unable to hit the ground running when Barcelona faced Diego Simeone's side in the Champions League Quarter-Final. Messi began the World Cup strongly scoring four times in the early stages of the competition but failed to carry it to the latter stages especially in the semi-final and the final where he was innocuous at large.
Nonetheless 2014 has been an incredible year for Lionel Messi who won the Golden Ball at the World Cup and broke Raul's Champions League scoring record however despite all his antics, Messi is lucky for being in the Ballon d'Or top three.
Ronaldo and Neuer the forerunners?
There are few people who can argue that either of the aforementioned individuals should not be on the list. Cristiano Ronaldo ended last season in exemplary fashion and has begun new season even better. He scored a mammoth number of 17 goals in the Champions League last season guiding Real Madrid to La Decima. This season the Portuguese international boasts an unimaginable goal scoring record having already registered 26 goals in just 17 La Liga games. The mercurial forward has been very instrumental towards Real Madrid's ambitions in recent years, but last year he was phenomenal to say the least.
For Neuer to be on the Ballon D'or shortlist is a remarkable achievement for the German international itself. No goalkeeper has won the award since Lev Yashin managed to do so in 1963 and he remains till this day the only one to have done so. Neuer has been one of the most consistent members of the Bayern Munich set up but it is his performance in the World Cup which really caught everyone's eye. Prior to the commencement of the competition many believed that Germany did not boast a defence line which could really help them to challenge for the title.
Such doubts were quickly put to rest by Germany's first choice keeper. His brilliant shot stopping abilities are greatly supplemented by his agility, his decision making and the fact that the 28 year old hardly ever makes a mistake. The former Schalke man single handedly won his side points in some of the matches often operating as an extra defender. But Neuer's story does not end there, the German has been exceptional in the Bundesliga this season as well and it does not come as a surprise that Bayern have conceded just four goals in the 17 league games they have played so far and much of this is down to Neuer's performances.
A case for the Germans
It is quite a shame that the only representative from the German national team in the Ballon D'Or top three is their goalkeeper given that there were a number of players who had performed really well not just for their national side but at the club level too. Portugal were humbled 4-0 before Brazil were humiliated by a 7-1 scoreline which shows just how strong Germany's attack was.
Toni Kroos, Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger all had a terrific World Cup campaign, but it is the exclusion of Thomas Muller which really caught everyone's attention. The 25 year old has been exceptional without looking extraordinary and has time and time again produced match winning performances for his club and country.
He scored four times during the World Cup in Brazil as he draws closer to becoming the competition's top scorer. What is even more impressive about Muller is his ability to rise to the occasion, he scored five Champions League goals in 2014, playing an important role during Bayern's wins over Arsenal and Manchester United and has been in good form this season having scored 11 times and provided six assists in all competitions. His endeavours last season should have landed him a place in the top three and Muller should definitely feel unlucky for not being a part of it.
