Ballon D'Or 2015

[John Arne]

Final 23 shortlist has been announced 2.5 months before the end of the year.

As always some bizarre inclusions, including Yaya Toure, who has had a pretty average 10mths, from what I remember and Arjen Robbem who missed about 5 of the eligible 10mths.
Just 1 defender nominated, and 1 goalkeeper and 0 players nominated from outside Europe.

Shortlist: Sergio Aguero (Argentina/Manchester City), Gareth Bale (Wales/Real Madrid), Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Belgium/Chelsea), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden/Paris Saint-Germain), Andres Iniesta (Spain/Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Germany/Real Madrid), Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich), Javier Mascherano (Argentina/Barcelona), Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona), Thomas Müller (Germany/Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (Germany/Bayern Munich), Neymar (Brazil/Barcelona), Paul Pogba (France/Juventus), Ivan Rakitic (Croatia/Barcelona), Arjen Robben (Netherlands/Bayern Munich), James Rodríguez (Colombia/Real Madrid), Alexis Sánchez (Chile/Arsenal), Luis Suárez (Uruguay/FC Barcelona), Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast/Manchester City), Arturo Vidal (Chile/Bayern Munich).

It will be 3 from Ronaldo, Messi, Suarez and Neymar, I suspect. It would be nice if Lewandowski pushed himself to the fore.

[Vim]

Buffon not being nominated, especially in front of Ospina, that Australian unknown and even some of the people in the shortlist is downright shameful.

[randomlegend]

De Gea should be on the list.

[John]

Lewandowski 'pushing himself to the fore' would be a confirmation that only the last three months or so really matter with these things outside of a world cup year.

[John Arne]

Lewandowski 'pushing himself to the fore' would be a confirmation that only the last three months or so really matter with these things outside of a world cup year.

What? He scored 18 goals in the second half of last season, too.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Luongo won the Asian Cup for his team. I'd take that over half the plodding shithouses in the shortlist just continuing to be famous and pick up a wage.

[Lewis]

'The Little Genius' should win it. Ronaldo was on course to retain it when he had about eighty goals by Christmas, but him and Madrid (that might be linked) trailed off in the New Year, and nobody else does enough to be worth considering.

1. 'The Little Genius'
2. Ronaldo
3. Neymar

Robert Lewandowski should be about seventh behind the rest of Barcelona and Kevin De Bruyne (I'm basing that off him winning the German awards).

[AE]

luongo won the asian cup for his team. I'd take that over half the plodding shithouses in the shortlist just continuing to be famous and pick up a wage.

seethe

[Reg]

If you're winning Champions Leagues and titles, you're not plodding along.

I'm sure it's much more likely to be Neymar/Suarez, but Rakitic should be in with a shout for 3rd.


De Gea should be on the list.
Agreed.

[phonics]

It should probably be Vidal if he weren't such a knob. Scudetto, Champions League Finalist and Copa America winner.

[Baz]

http://www.channelstv.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Raheem-Sterling-Man-City.jpg

[Gray Fox]

I have a feeling it'll be Neymar, although it will end up being Messi again.

[Vim]

It should probably be Vidal if he weren't such a knob. Scudetto, Champions League Finalist and Copa America winner.

Yeah but he wasn't our best player by far.

[Reg]

Who was? Pogba?

[Vim]

Tevez and Buffon. Neither of which are in the shortlist.

[phonics]

Buffon went out in the first round of the World Cup and Tevez didn't even go to it. No chance either were winning it.

[Pen]

Isn't it for this year, not 2014? Ruling them out for not doing well in a World cup when there isn't one seems incredibly harsh.

It seems to be the same list every year, no matter how the players on that list play bar a few exceptions.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The World Cup was last year.

[Vim]

Buffon went out in the first round of the World Cup and Tevez didn't even go to it. No chance either were winning it.

I'm not saying either of them should have won, but as I said, Ospina making the original list instead of Buffon is nothing short of scandalous.

[Shindig]

Georginio Wijnaldum is outraged at the snub by the football authorities.

[Mazuuurk]

LOL at Muller being in the poll but not Ibrahimovic :harold:

[Raoul Duke]

Muller won the World Cup, league and Champions League in the last year or so.

Ibra scored some goals against Bastia U14s.

[Mazuuurk]

Shut your lousy gob with your irrelevant "facts".

[Toby]

If you told me Chelsea could have any player but Messi from that list, I'd probably go for Muller. He's certainly not undeserving of inclusion. Even if Ibrahimovic were to be included, and I don't really see why he should, it would have to be at the expense of somebody else.

Messi looked to have this sewn up at the end of last season but he's been (relatively) rubbish then injured ever since.

[Reg]

Out of ANYONE but Messi?

Ronaldo, Bale, Lewandowski, Neymar, Aguero...

[Lewis]

He's better than Lewandowski, and probably better than Aguero (or at least not a perma-crock).

[Reg]

Who's going to win you more matches?

It's not going to be Muller.

[Lewis]

Didn't he score about three winners in the World Cup?

[Reg]

Not sure how many winners but he scored a lot.

Lew and Aguero have a long history of being two of the best goalscorers. Muller doesn't match them in that regard. There are other ways of winning/influencing matches but I think the vast majority of teams would rather have the five I posted above.

[John Arne]

Not sure how many winners but he scored a lot.

Lew and Aguero have a long history of being two of the best goalscorers. Muller doesn't match them in that regard. There are other ways of winning/influencing matches but I think the vast majority of teams would rather have the five I posted above.

He got almost 20 assists last season, too (as well as 20 odd goals).

[Reg]

He's a great player. Those five are greater, in my opinion.

[Toby]

There's an argument to be had for four of them, but I think you're massively underrating Muller if you think he's not as likely to win games as Gareth Bale.

[Reg]

Perhaps he'd squeeze in ahead of Bale.

Ronaldo though, come on.

[Toby]

Soon to be 31 year old Ronaldo who has scored in two league games this season. You'd get a season out of him if he moved back to England.

[Reg]

As if he's nearly finished. He'd come back and win you the next three leagues.

[Toby]

Not even all five of those lot would salvage a league title for Chelsea this season.

[Lewis]

Bareth Gale is clearly better than Lewandowski and Aguero (and Muller).

[Spoonsky]

Muller won the World Cup, league and Champions League in the last year or so.

Ibra scored some goals against Bastia U14s.

What? He won the World Cup in 2014 and the Champions League in 2013. I thought the Ballon d'Or only really accounted for the past calendar year.

That said, Muller is one of the most underrated players in football and probably should've won the Golden Ball at the World Cup, though the way that German team was built there wasn't any one true star. Him and his wife also look like a fairy tale of what Germans look like:

http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/13900000/Thomas-and-his-wife-Lisa-thomas-muller-13959270-467-311.jpg

[phonics]

In Nacho Monreals pocket mate.