2014 was a great year in football. Germany became World
Champions for a fourth time, Real Madrid won La Décima and Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded his third Ballon d’Or.
No matter what anyone says or may believe, this was a very close decision. All
three nominees: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer, are all very
deserving of the award; but sadly only one of the three may win.
The criterion for winning the Ballon d’Or has always been
debated. There are no set rules or goals that a player must meet to be bestowed
this honour, however there are certain expectations. The problem with the
voting process is that there are no clear expectations of the winner. Some
choose to look at trophies won in a year, while others may look at records
broken and the individual statistics of each player.
I personally think that the award belongs to the best player
in the world based on individual performance. By individual performance I mean
the player that is able to contribute to their team in the greatest capacity in
comparison to the other two nominees. Many people assume the winner must have
won a specific honour during the season, but as we know that is not always the
case. It is a combination of stats, effort, success, impact and skill. This
year was no exception, but the inclusion of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has made it
an interesting decision.
Firstly, let’s take a look at the 2014 for Neuer. Bayern
Munich won the Bundesliga along with the DFB-Pokal and most importantly the
2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. There are many people who believe that Neuer was
the sole reason for his club and country’s success during the year. On the
other hand, there are those who believe his squad was simply amazing and he was
a piece of the puzzle per say. Considering his skill and passion for the game,
I would say that Neuer deserved to be nominated for this award, as I haven’t
seen a goalkeeper this talented since Buffon back 2006. Some people may think
I’m crazy, but I truly think that Neuer can be considered one of the greatest
keepers of all time from what he’s shown us throughout his career.
Secondly, Lionel Messi had a good 2014 football season. I
will say it was great because in all honesty I didn’t think it was. I don’t
want to create any Ronaldo/Messi bias by sharing my opinion; I’m simply stating
what I think. Although Messi did break numerous records this season and managed
to reach the World Cup final with Argentina, he did not have a Lionel Messi
type season. Yes he was injured and I have considered it, but he no longer
plays the way he used to play. The Messi from a few years ago was unstoppable
and a huge threat to any team he faced, but I fear that he has now entered the
tail end of his career. I don’t want to take away what he has accomplished this
season, but I feel that he could have contributed in a greater way. Don’t get
me wrong, he still deserves to be in the top three nominees, but he seems to
have lost a bit of his magic that we are so used to seeing.
Finally, we have the 2014 FIFA Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano
Ronaldo. I would like to extend my sincerest congratulations to him and his
family. The 2014 football season was a great one for Ronaldo. Although he did
not do too well in the World Cup with Portugal, his club season was like no
other. In addition to winning the Champions League for the second time in his
career, the impact he has on his club and country teams is unique. I would like
everyone to imagine Real Madrid and Portugal without Ronald for a few moments.
When you truly think about it, he is the heart and soul of each team. I don’t
want to take any credit away from any other Real Madrid player, but they simply
would not be as big of a threat without this guy on their team. The impact he
has had both numbers wise and leadership wise is so great, that he deserves to
be named the greatest player in football for the season.
Yes Manuel Neuer and Lionel Messi both had amazing seasons
and congratulations to them for being nominated for this award, but I feel as
though the award was awarded to the right person this season. I have been
saying for a while that Ronaldo deserved to win this year’s award and I’m happy
that he was chosen. I know it may be a bit early, but as for the 2015 Ballon
d’Or nominees, I think that these three have a great chance of returning. Only
time will tell obviously, but if these three players continue with their fine
form, then we will have a very interesting decision for next year. One last
time, I would like to congratulate Cristiano Ronaldo on winning his third
Ballon d’Or.
@ZachAFC
Photo:http://www.aljazeera.com/sport/football/2014/01/ronaldo-pips-messi-ballon-d-award-2014113173358702246.html
