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Alongside FIFA’s revamped #TheBest Awards, the Ballon d’Or is seen as the pinnacle of individual achievements for footballers based in Europe.
The award owned by influential football magazine; France Football has a long and proud history and its past winners read like a roll call of some of the greatest footballers to have played the beautiful game on the European continent.
The award has, in the last ten years, become the love child of those two legends: Cristiano Ronaldo & Lionel Messi who have shared it equally between themselves and are still in with a shout for this year’s edition.
However, across the continent, some other players have really stepped up this season and could prove to be worthy co-contestants with the eternal duo for the award.
Here is a look at 5 of these players who have shown enough to have their names in the hat:
#5 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool & Egypt)
The Pharaoh, Salah has been majestic for Liverpool & Egypt
Such has been the magnificence of the “Pharaoh” that his jump from being a quality player in the Serie A to leading light for one of Europe’s most decorated clubs has been met by disbelief among pundits.
The Egyptian had joined Liverpool at the start of the season from AS Roma for an initial fee of €42m which with bonuses will eventually rise to €50m; a fee that Roma’s sporting director Carlos Monchi has now described as a fee that “does not reflect his value tight now”
Playing from the right side of Liverpool’s attack, Salah has fit into the team like a glove and his confidence can be seen in the way he now takes on players, his intelligent runs, brilliant link up with his teammates and most importantly, his improved goal scoring.
He looks a long way off the shy, uncertain youngster who first came to England as a Chelsea player from Swiss side FC Basel. He is now stronger, more intelligent and more confident in his abilities and Jürgen Klopp and Liverpool are the biggest beneficiaries of this.
His stats for the season are in the world-class Ballon-d’Or-contestant territory as he has plundered 29 goals and made 8 assists in just 32 games.
How well Liverpool performs in the latter stages of the Champions League & how he does with Egypt at the World Cup will determine his chances of winning the coveted award as it is certain that he will not get a league winners’ medal this season.
#4 Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur & England)
What is there to be said about Harry Kane; that he is a goalscoring machine or that he is steadily becoming the premier striker in world football? All these are facts.
The Hurri-Kane as he is fondly called by admirers has consolidated his world-class status by having another 20+ season in terms of goals (his fourth in a row) and the big thing is; he is now doing them on the biggest stage; the UEFA Champions League.
An inability to deliver on the continent had been one of the sticks with which he has been flogged but Kane has responded in style this season with 7 goals in just 6 games in this season’s UEFA Champions League and following Spurs’ 2-2 draw away at Juventus in the round of 16, the signs are good that the Walthamstow-born striker will add even more to his goal haul.
He has gotten better this season at being more than a goalscorer; his linking up with midfield runners like Dele Alli and Heung-Min Son has improved greatly while his ability to hold up possession, draw defenders into himself and defensive diligence have also improved.
With the constant rumours linking him to Real Madrid a feature of transfer speculation every other day, Kane has stayed focused and continued to deliver the goals for club and country.
Depending on what Spurs and England can achieve this year, Kane’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or are as bright as anyone not named Messi or Ronaldo is.
#3 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich & Poland)
New hair, same old LewanGOALski
Goleador, master poacher, penalty box assassin and all-round world class player, the giant Pole’s name has been constantly mentioned in Ballon d’Or discussions for the better part of 5 seasons now and no matter what happens when voting for the award commences, expect LewanGOALski’s name to be placed high on the list.
While he may have changed the colour of his hair, nothing has changed about his output as he has again delivered another 20+ season in the Bundesliga and is also placed high in the goalscorers’ chart in the UEFA Champions League where following his brace against Turkish side Besiktas in last night’s round of 16 encounter he has delivered 5 goals in six games and is expected to get even more as the tournament progresses.
While his record for Bayern has been fantastic, his performances for the Polish national team have been even more impressive given the differences in the quality of the supporting cast at Bayern and the national team.
His record of 51 goals in 91 appearances which means basically one goal in every 1.78 games is astonishing and he will be one to watch at the World Cup.
With the Bundesliga title a formality already, his performances in the Champions League & at the World Cup will be crucial for his Ballon d’Or chances, given his pedigree; expect him to deliver.
#2 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City & Belgium)
The maestro, de Bruyne has been the most impressive player in the most impressive team in England
Despite the goals of Harry Kane and the dazzling displays of Mo Salah, one player’s name has dominated the discussions for the award for the best player in this season’s Premier League and it is no other than the ginger-haired Belgian maestro at the heart of a brilliant Manchester City side.
Such has been De Bruyne’s influence on everything good that the Cityzens have done this season that even some of his very impressive teammates; Sergio Aguero, Fernandinho, Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane among others fade into the background when his name is mentioned.
Playing the Xavi role for Pep Guardiola’s rampaging side has freed up De Bruyne and the Belgian is having his best season ever. Everything he touches now seems to turn to gold as his goals, assists, crosses, and performances are getting millions of replays and comments by fans and pundits alike.
He has been delivering the goods both in the league and in the Champions League and his name is definitely in the mix for the Ballon d’Or award this year.
His stats have been frightening to behold and given the team that Guardiola is building around him at the Etihad Stadium as well as his new improved long-term contract, the expectation is that he will get even better.
The Premier League title looks to be a formality at this stage and with passage to the quarterfinal almost certain in the Champions League; the World Cup might be the big deciding factor in whether De Bruyne becomes the one who breaks the Messi/Ronaldo stranglehold on the Ballon d’Or.
#1 Neymar (PSG & Brazil)
The chosen one, this might be the season that Neymar wins the Ballon d'Or
The chosen one who for a very long time has been declared the heir apparent to the Messi/Ronaldo throne, Neymar has certainly done his chances no harm following his world record move to the French capital from Cataluña.
He has dominated Ligue 1 like a colossus and has posted stats that will be the envy of any footballer in world football.
In the UEFA Champions League, he has delivered in the big games and while he was derided for showboating in his side’s 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the first leg, 2nd round encounter, he still showed enough to justify his world-class billing with a wonderful acrobatic assist for Adrien Rabiot’s goal.
He will be pivotal in overturning the deficit in the second leg at the Parc De Princes and given the constant rumours linking him with a move to the Spanish giants, the idea of auditioning for arguably the greatest club in world football might be an extra motivation.
It has been sixteen years since the Seleção of Brazil emerged world champions; it has been a story of nearly and almost since the three Rs (Ronaldo, Rivaldo & Ronaldinho) led them to glory at Korea/Japan 2002.
Neymar will be the star and the man on whose shoulders the burden will be most upon as the Verde-Amarela (The Green and Yellow) seek to win their 6th world cup title.
The bitter taste of the world cup of four years ago especially the 7-1 loss to Germany in the semi-finals is one that still haunts the football-crazy nation and Neymar and co. will be going all out to erase that painful memory.
His world cup performances will be key to his getting the Ballon d'Or and if he can deliver in the yellow and blue jersey as he has done consistently, then 2018 might just be the year that Neymar finally fulfils the prophecy and ascends to the planet currently occupied by just two individuals; Messi and Ronaldo.
