Top 5 players who missed out on Ballon d'Or list

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

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.