8 years in a row, we have seen the Ballon d’Or footballer of the year award bounce between arguably the 2 greatest footballers of all time, Ronaldo and Messi. After impressive seasons for both of them, the 2016 award is being tipped to go to one of them again, but we can’t help but think the award may end up in the hands of a first-time winner. The Ballon d'Or is awarded to players who have performed exceptionally over the calendar year as well as their success with club and country. Here’s what we think:
Cristiano Ronaldo
In terms of trophies, Ronaldo has outperformed every other nominee having lifted the Euro 2016 trophy with Portugal as well as the Champions League. Madrid will also be favourites heading into the FIFA Club World Cup in December. On a personal level, Ronaldo found goal 51 times in 48 appearances for Madrid over the 2015/16 season and has already scored 7 times this season, he was also crowned UEFA best player owing to his impressive Champions League and Euro 2016 role. The Portuguese superstar is the odds-on favourite to win his fourth Ballon d'Or after an extremely successful 2016.
Lionel Messi
Messi’s contention for the Ballon d'Or could have been bolstered had he won Copa America Centenario with Argentina. Besides that, He has won the 2015 Club World Cup, 2015/16 La Liga and the Copa Del Rey. This is by no means a small achievement and he will certainly give the rest of the nominees a run for their money. After suffering through a few injury ridden spells, the "Little Magician" was able to net 41 goals in just 49 appearances for Barca and he is currently sitting on an impressive tally of 15 from 13 in the current season.
Antoine Griezmann
Arguably the most impressive young player in the world, the French starlet has completely exceeded expectations. Griezman picked up both the Golden ball and Golden boot at Euro 2016 and was the best player at the tournament by miles. Having bagged 22 league goals and 7 champions league goals last season and already boasting 6 league goals and 2 champions league goals this season, Griezman is a serious contender for the Ballon d’Or.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
The Dortmund striker is certainly making his small home country of Gabon proud as he continues to impress in the German Bundesliga. The high paced forward clinched the Bundesliga player of the year crown last season after netting 25 goals and after already scoring 7 from 7 this season is certainly on track to hit upwards of 30 goals this season. Aubameyang certainly deserves the nomination but with minimal impact on the international field, he faces little chance of winning the Ballon d’Or at this stage. One thing is certain in the fact that he is without a doubt a player for the future and someone who ranks amongst the best in the world.
Arturo Vidal
Box-to-box midfielders are often overlooked when it comes to awards like the Ballon d’Or. Arturo Vidal, however, is a player who simply cannot be overlooked. The influence that this man has on a field is almost unparalleled in every faction of his game. Since joining Bayern Munich after a league winning campaign with Juventus, Vidal has gone on to win the Bundesliga as well as the Copa America Centenario in 2016. Vidal has scored 3 goals so far this season and has averaged a 90% pass completion rate in 2016. The all-rounder will find it tough to beat off the like of Messi and Ronaldo but his mere inclusion in the shortlist is something to be proud of.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
As the Swedish acrobat edges closer to the end of his career we can’t help but think that this may be his last Ballon d'Or nomination. Ibrahimovic cemented himself into Ligue 1 history after netting a whopping 38 goals in 29 league appearances. His slow start to life at Man Utd will not help his hopes of claiming the prize but his talent certainly deserved to be acknowledged with his nomination.
The full list of Ballon d’Or nominees
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund), Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City), Paulo Dybala (Juventus), Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur), Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Neymar (Barcelona), Dimitri Payet (West Ham), Pepe (Real Madrid), Paul Pogba (Manchester United), Rui Patricio (Sporting Lisbon), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Luis Suarez (Barcelona), Jamie Vardy (Leicester City), Arturo Vidal (Bayern Munich).