On Monday evening, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or Neymar will win the 2015 Ballon d\u2019Or awarded to the footballer considered to have been the best in the world in the last calendar year.\u00a0When will the EPL provide a Ballon d’or winner? Ronaldo has received the prize in both of the last two years, but it is widely expected that Messi will take the award home for the fourth time.<\/p>\n
All three candidates have a strong case to be named the greatest player on the planet. Messi has had another stellar 12 months, winning La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey and scoring 49 goals for club and country along the way. He was back to his best following a below-par 2014, controlling games as well as producing the decisive moments of magic that win them.<\/p>\n
Neymar also played a key part in Barcelona\u2019s treble, silencing the doubters and established himself as one of the world\u2019s best. He has become more mature and selfless, harnessing his incredible individual talents within the team\u2019s overriding structure. Neymar found the back of the net 24 times in the second half of the 2014\/15 campaign and is currently this season\u2019s top scorer in La Liga with 15 strikes to his name.<\/p>\n
Ronaldo\u2019s influence has waned a little in the last year or so, but he remains an extraordinary talent capable of making the difference at the very highest level. The Portuguese was the joint-highest scorer in the Champions League last term and leads the way in 2015\/16 too, while October saw him overtake Raul at the top of Real Madrid\u2019s all-time goalscoring chart.<\/p>\n
All three men deserve praise for their displays in 2015; even though critics of the Ballon d\u2019Or are right to protest that football is a team sport and must always be analysed within its collective context, individual performances are still worthy of recognition.<\/p>\n
The more interesting question from a Premier League viewpoint is why, yet again, players plying their trade in England have failed to make the final three-man shortlist.<\/p>\n
The Premier League has not had a representative on the podium since 2009, when Manchester United\u2019s Ronaldo came second in the Fifa World Player of the Year award.<\/p>\n
The former Sporting man finished first the year previously, while Fernando Torres, Thierry Henry (twice), Frank Lampard and David Beckham have all been in the top three since the turn of the century.<\/p>\n
It is the trend in recent years that is most notable, however. The Premier League remains more popular across the world than ever before, yet according to the Ballon d\u2019Or lists it is not home to the very best players.<\/p>\n
Money alone cannot be the answer, for Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal are among the richest outfits in the world. It is not as if the Premier League is not big or popular enough to attract talented stars, either.<\/p>\n
Perhaps, then, the lack of success in the Ballon d\u2019Or is merely reflective of English clubs\u2019 struggles in Europe.<\/p>\n
Chelsea\u2019s Champions League triumph in 2012 did not come about because they possessed the best individual players, while United\u2019s run to the final in 2011 was overshadowed by the brilliance of Barcelona, who comprehensively defeated Sir Alex Ferguson\u2019s men at Wembley.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, though, the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly has simply prevented new faces from challenging.<\/p>\n
Andres Iniesta finished second and Xavi third behind their Barcelona team-mate in 2010, but Messi and Ronaldo have otherwise been the top two every year since 2009.<\/p>\n
This has meant only one extra spot on the podium up for grabs, with the Bundesliga (Franck Ribery in 2013 and Manuel Neuer in 2014) the only division to have encroached on La Liga\u2019s dominance.<\/p>\n
Had Messi or Ronaldo not been around, it is conceivable that Premier League talents such as Gareth Bale, Luis Suarez or Robin van Persie could have finished in the top three at some point.<\/p>\n
Perhaps when the Barcelona and Madrid stars finally depart the scene, England\u2019s top tier will begin to provide challengers for the Ballon d\u2019Or crown once more.<\/p>\n
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