Who will win the 2014 Ballon D'or?
On the 12th January 2015, in Zurich, one FIFA nominee will receive the ultimate individual price that football has to offer, the FIFA Ballon D'or. The three contenders are Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Manuel Neuer, some of the greatest players of my generation. In this post, I weight up their achievements and see who I think deserves the 2014 FIFA Ballon D'or.
Lionel Messi
Key achievements of 2014:
- Becoming the first player to pass Raul 71 Champions league goals
- Finishing runners-up in the 2014 World Cup with Argentina
- Becoming the highest goalscorer in Barcelona's history
- Became the highest goalscorer in La Liga history
- Won the 2014 Adidas Golden Ball (at the World Cup)
Messi is up there with the best of all-time. No one can argue against that point. However, football fans have realised that among Messi's spectacular stats and playing style, his stardom hasn't been as big as when he first stormed onto the European stage with Barcelona (winning the 2009 Champions league final against Manchester United in Rome). Messi has won the Ballon D'or four times before but I think that he hasn't reached his height of performance, as his attacking ideas seem to be the same game in game out.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Key achievements of 2014:
- Won the 2014 Champions league with Real Madrid
- Won the 2013 Ballon D'or in January
- Won the 2013-14 UEFA Best Player in Europe award
- Won the 2014 Club World Cup with Real Madrid
- Scored the most hat-tricks in La Liga history (23)
- Won the 2014 UEFA Super Cup with Real Madrid
- Won the 2014 Copa Del Rey with Real Madrid
- Joint-winner of the European Golden Shoe (alongside Luis Suarez, both tied on 31 goals)
Ronaldo has really come into his own in the past two seasons and this can be proved by the number of individual awards he has gained over the past year. Although some would say that Messi has more goals than Ronaldo in some competitions (e.g. UEFA Champions league), Ronaldo has a much better overall attacking game (e.g. strength, stamina, aggression, and heading). Madrid don't depend on Ronaldo as much Barcelona do on Messi (aside the Spanish capital's transfer policy) and therefore displays that Ronaldo is, at the moment, just edging in the Messi vs Ronaldo saga.
Manuel Neuer
Key achievements of 2014:
- Won the 2014 World Cup with Germany
- Won the 2013/14 Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich
- Only conceding 4 goals before the winter break of the 2014/15 Bundesliga season
- Won the 2014 Golden Glove at the World Cup
- Won the 2014 DFB-Pokal Final with Bayern Munich
It was going to be an event of huge debate among football fans, who would be third on the nominee list behind Messi and Ronaldo. Aguero, Robben and Gareth Bale were among those for the third place on the finalists list but ultimately, FIFA chose Manuel Neuer. The World-cup winner has been in fine form all season for both Germany and Bayern Munich, with a brick-wall like status when playing opponents. Neuer has also become an icon for his midfield-like techniques when his defence play a high-line of attacking football. Although he has achieved alot for a goalkeeper in the modern game, Neuer is not comparable, in my opinion, to Messi and Ronaldo. However, he is definitely one of the best goalkeepers of all-time.
My prediction:
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Lionel Messi
- Manuel Neuer
The 2014 FIFA Ballon D'or finalists
No comments:
Post a Comment