Sport
IS LUIS SUAREZ WORTHY OF A PLACE AT EUROPE’S TOP TABLE?
It is a duopoly that has dominated the world game for seven years: not since 2007, when Kaka was crowned the best footballer on the planet, has anyone but Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi won the Fifa Ballon d’Or. Andres Iniesta is the only player other than the aforementioned pair to have even finished in the top two in that time.
Messi is the favourite to scoop the 2015 prize after a superb calendar year in which he was the driving force behind Argentina’s run to the final of the Copa America and Barcelona’s La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey triumphs.
Ronaldo, though, will gather plenty of votes of his own after another fine year in which the Portugal international overtook Raul to become Real Madrid’s all-time record goalscorer.
Given the inevitability of the top two placings, the more interesting debate to be had is who should finish third when the latest awards ceremony takes place in January.
There are plenty of contenders on the 23-man shortlist. Kevin De Bruyne was the Bundesliga’s outstanding player last term and has adapted well to life at Manchester City following his big-money move in the summer, while Robert Lewandowski has been sensational in recent months.
Neymar seems to get better by the week at Barcelona, Alexis Sanchez has been brilliant for Arsenal and Arturo Vidal is arguably the complete midfielder. Thomas Muller, Paul Pogba, Manuel Neuer and James Rodriguez are all likely to receive votes, while Javier Mascherano may be top of England manager Roy Hodgson’s slip once more.
Regardless of the worthy credentials of the above, however, it is difficult to look past Barcelona striker Luis Suarez for third place in the 2015 Ballon d’Or.
The former Liverpool star missed the first 11 games of last season after being banned for biting Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup in Brazil. He took a while to get going upon his return in late October, but the Uruguay international had fully settled in his surroundings by the turn of the year and went on to enjoy a superb remainder of the campaign.
From January to the end of last term, Suarez scored 22 times in 32 appearances, including key goals in matches with Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, a brace against Manchester City and what was essentially the winner in the Champions League final against Juventus. His link-up play with Messi and Neymar was simply sublime to watch at times, with Suarez slotting in seamlessly at the star-studded Camp Nou.
He has also begun 2015/16 extremely well, finding the back of the net on 10 occasions in all competitions and, alongside Neymar, stepping up to the plate in Messi’s recent injury-enforced absence.
Suarez has brought so much to Barcelona’s overall style under Luis Enrique, with his willingness to run in behind the opposition’s backline bringing a different dimension to the Catalans’ play after a few years of Messi being deployed as a false nine. He has been typically selfless defensively too, regularly tracking back down the right so that the Argentine can remain high up the pitch and focus on his attacking efforts.
Suarez did not even make the Ballon d’Or shortlist last year, with the incident involving Chiellini thought to be behind an omission that did not make any sense in purely footballing terms.
Even when it comes to honouring individuals, it is impossible to ignore the collective context in what is ultimately a team game. Suarez was an absolutely essential member of the world’s best side in 2015, which is why he should be honoured with a place on the podium in January.
