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Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious award that any footballer can aim to win in his entire career. Many greats of the game have won this award. Earlier Ballon d’Or was only for the French players but since 2010 it has merged with FIFA World Player of the Year award and is collectively known as FIFA Ballon d’Or.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo in 2014:
Real Madrid: 51 games, 56 goals/ Portugal: 9 games, 5 goals
Total: 60 games, 61 goals
Trophies won: Champions League, Spanish Cup, Super Cup, Club World Cup
The Portugal captain has had marvellous year personally as he is constantly breaking the barriers with his extraordinary form. He is red hot favourite to win the title this season as well due to the amount of trophies he won with Real Madrid which includes Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup.
Lionel Messi
Messi in 2014:
Barcelona:52 games, 50 goals/ Argentina:14 games, 8 goals
Total:66 games, 58 goals
Trophies won:None
The Argentine had a disastrous season with Barcelona where he had his first trophyless season with Catalan giants in almost a decade. But he led Argentina to the finals of the Worrld Cup and strangely won the Player of the Tournament award as well. Personally, he had a very good year as he scored 58 goals in 66 games. He may surprisingly win it as post World Cup we saw that anything is possible.
Manuel Neuer
Bayern Munich: 49 games, 26 clean sheets / Germany: 9 games, 5 clean sheets
Total: 58 games, 31 clean sheets
Trophies won:World Cup,Bundesliga, German Cup
The German stopper has been unsung hero for both club and country. He was pivotal in Germany’s World Cup success. If Cristiano Ronaldo fails to win, it has to be him over Messi for the top spot. He has established himself as the best keeper in the world over the past couple of seasons. He should undoubtedly win this award for his marvellous season with both club and the country which the latter contestants can’t boast about.
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