Yesterday, the moment that football fans had been waiting for finally arrived as the latest winner of the most recent Ballon d'Or was announced.
And not surprisingly, it was Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo who won his second consecutive and third prize, beating out Barcelona ace Lionel Messi and Bayern Munich star Manuel Neuer.
Many fans had hoped that the German shot-stopper could become the second to walk away with the prize since Russian legend Lev Yashin won it in 1963--well before many fans of the game today were even born.
To date, Yashin, who spent his entire 20-year career with Dynamo Moscow is still the only 'keeper to have been able to beat out outfield players to the prize. And when asked his opinion as to whether a goalie could ever win it again, Neuer, who was instrumental in Germany winning the World Cup this summer, gave some interesting responses.
"I was always aware that it would be difficult to beat [Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo] as they made their mark in football last year," he was quoted as stating to Germany's football website.
Neuer with die Mannschaft after their World Cup triumph in Brazil this past summer
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"For a goalkeeper, it's harder to do that. [Still], we Germans did quite well with awards and perhaps it was a bit too much to ask for me to win [the Ballon d'Or]."
However, when asked whether a goalkeeper could ever again win the prize, he noted:
"To be honest, if you watch a football match, the first thing someone would ask is who scored the goals, not what the goalkeeper did."
Yet, despite the disappointment, he still found some positive in finishing third in the overall rankings.
"Being in the top three [in the world] is not just for me, but also for all goalkeepers," the 28-year-old offered.
"Indeed, this is for all of us who have done well over the past few years. And it's definitely something I will remember as I get older and am looking back on my career. It's truly something unique and something that will be difficult to surpass."
