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So, the FIFA Ballon d’Or shortlist has been released, some of names included are truly world class players who are at the top of their game. The likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic have all been included, but some outstanding talents, who have been brilliant in the past year have missed out on football’s most prestigious award. Here are the five players who should have made the FIFA Ballon d’Or list.
Juan Mata – Chelsea
Juan Mata was sublime for Chelsea last season, picking up the club’s Player of the Season award. He scored 12 goals in 35 Premier League matches and created an astonishing 95 chances, assisting 12 times – the second most in the Premier League. He created 30 more chances than the second most creative player at Chelsea, Eden Hazard (who made the Ballon d’Or shortlist).
To put his chance creation into context, Lionel Messi created just 45 and Cristiano Ronaldo managed just 62.
Mata was Chelsea’s creative genius, dropping in between the lines of midfield and defence to cause devastating damage. His average passing accuracy was 85% and he scored a third of his goals from outside of the penalty area.
Mata helped Chelsea to finish inside the top four last season, qualifying for the Champions League, whilst also winning the Europa League, beating Benfica 2-1 in the final.
However good Mata was last season, he has been left in the shadows of the Chelsea first team this season by new manager, Jose Mourinho. He has featured just five times this season, scoring none, but creating 9 chances.
Marco Reus – Dortmund
The German helped Borussia Dortmund finish second in the Bundesliga last season and reached the Champions League final, losing out both times to Bayern Munich.
In 32 leagues matches last term, Reus scored 14 goals and creating 59 chances, 9 of which were assists.
Reus played in a forward line complete with Mario Gotze, Robert Lewandowski and Jakub Blaszczykowski, forming a lethal attack. Reus was integral to Dortmund’s run to the Champions League final that included a late comeback against Malaga and a 4-1 demolition of Real Madrid.
So far this season, the German has scored five goals in 10 Bundesliga matches, assisting four and creating a total of 30 chances.
Arturo Vidal – Juventus
The Chilean midfielder had a fantastic 2013, winning Serie A with Juventus, reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League and the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia, as well as qualifying for the World Cup with Chile.
In Serie A last season, Vidal scored 10 goals in 31 matches and created 63 chances – more than both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Vidal is a powerful midfield engine and is integral to how Juve play. His midfield partnerships with Andrea Pirlo and Paul Pogba have had the rest of Europe salivating. Vidal will be an important player for his country and next summer’s World Cup. He should feel unlucky not to make the Ballon d’Or shortlist.
Sergio Busquets – Barcelona
Busquets is the base of a midfield triangle at Barcelona and allows Andres Iniesta and Xavi to flourish further up the field. His role in the Barca side is hugely important as when the Catalans are in full flow in attack, Busquets drops into central defence, creating a back three with the two centre backs.
His pass accuracy is sublime, averaging 92% in La Liga last season, even making two assists. He also scored from his only shot. Against Real Madrid last week, he only misplaced one of his 50 attempted passes, pretty outstanding.
In terms of trophies, it was a disappointing season for Barcelona as they only won La Liga. They were humbled 7-0 on aggregate by European champions Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the Champions League and were knocked out at the same stage of the Copa del Rey.
Busquets amassed eight caps for Spain in 2013 and helped them qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Mario Mandzukic – Bayern Munich
Mandzukic led Bayern Munich’s forward line throughout their record-breaking 2012/13 season. The Croatian scored 15 goals in 24 Bundesliga matches and has scored seven in 10 matches already this season.
He led the line well, ousting Mario Gomez, and won the Bundesliga, Champions League and the DFB-Pokal. Mandzukic was a key component to a Bayern side that made history, breaking or equalling 30 records in total, including amassing the most points in the Bundesliga, most wins in a season and longest winning streak.
Mandzukic also scored three times for Croatia in 2013, helping them to a World Cup Play-Off against Iceland.
The Croatian is not one of the biggest names in world football but his achievements and performances over 2013 should merit a place in the Ballon d’Or shortlist.
