Team Messi, Team Ronaldo or Team Neymar - who are the football greats picking for the Ballon d'Or?
The 2015 FIFA Ballon d’Or will be contested by Lionel Messi, Neymar and Cristiano RonaldoAs the curtain rises on 2016, the 11th of January brings us another Ballon d’Or ceremony, where the greatest footballer of the last 12 months is crowned in Zurich’s grandiose Kongresshaus. This edition is being competed by the magnificent trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr. and Cristiano Ronaldo.The announcement of the Ballon d’Or shortlist on the 30th of November prompted furious debate as the entire footballing fraternity argued and quibbled over who was the best player in 2015. It hasn’t just been your average punter in a pub who’s waxed lyrical about the qualities of Neymar, Messi and Ronaldo, but football’s greatest personalities have also waded into the waters, voicing their pick for the 2015 Ballon d’Or.We take a look at who’s publically backing whom, with the three candidates forming clearly demarcated camps.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
Cristiano Ronaldo won the award last year and celebrated in ‘vocal’ fashion
The highest goalscorer of the calendar year, Cristiano Ronaldo is a statistically obvious choice, having plundered 54 goals and assisting 17 strikes in an astonishing 2 months for the Portugues superstar. A slight negative against Ronaldo is that 28 of those strikes (over half his goals) have come in eight games against minnows.
With the voting taking place as Ronaldo underwent a relatively fallow period as the 2015/16 season progressed, the Ballon d’Or incumbent’s chances of reclaiming the award seem a bit unlikely. However, this has not prevented some sporting personalities from unveiling their ‘Team Ronaldo’ status.
Ronaldo has a bit of an unfair advantage when the ceremony begins, as host James Nesbitt is a Manchester United fan and is clearly rooting for the Portugues star. The actor, who was cast in ‘The Hobbit’, revealed his intentions to lure Ronaldo back to Manchester United, saying, “I'm taking a shirt with Ronaldo's name and number on it, and hopefully he'll put it on and get on the plane back with me.”
The Portuguese star also has the support of a former Portuguese legend in Luis Figo. The stylish midfielder preceded Ronaldo as Portugal’s talisman and won the Ballon d’Or award in its previous incarnation in 2000, as the FIFA World Player of the Year.
Speaking to Spanish news agency Efe, Figo called on Ronaldo’s statistical superiority to triumph, saying, “They are three magnificent players. If the logic about how trophies go to winning teams prevails, the trophy will be for a Barcelona player. But if those who vote single out individual numbers, such as goals scored, Ronaldo could win.”
Ronaldo also can call on support from legendary German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn. Well, if Ronaldo needs any support, that is; Kahn referenced Ronaldo’s amazing self-belief when voicing his pick for this edition of the Ballon d’Or, saying “I think Ronaldo will win again, a man who calls himself the world’s best player – and who can blame him?”
Figo and Kahn are backing Ronaldo in this year’s Ballon d’Or
Ronaldo also has support throughout the world, who have opined that Real Madrid’s weaker supporting cast and Ronaldo’s fitness should be reasons for why he wins the award.
Swiss International Pirmin Schwegler picks Cristiano Ronaldo as his Ballon d’Or winner, using Real Madrid’s reliance on him as a reason. In an interview with FIFA.com, he said, “It’s such a tough decision to make this year. I think it’ll be Cristiano Ronaldo, because I think he plays for the weaker team compared to the other two. There’s no doubt that they’re both at an extremely high level, but for me Barcelona have the better team and Ronaldo makes such a difference at Real Madrid.”
Similarly, Ronaldo also has support from former Real Madrid player and 2010 FIFA Puskas Award winner Hamit Altintop. The Turkish international claimed that Messi’s injury should mean that Ronaldo takes the Ballon d’Or award, saying, “I don’t think Lionel Messi’s got as much of a chance now because of his injury. I think Cristiano Ronaldo is just a little bit ahead of Messi because he hasn’t had any injuries.”