The Ballon d'Or nominees of 2017 were gradually released throughout Monday 9th October, as football fans around the world anticipated which players would be shortlisted for the prestigious award. Who is going to win this year?
Is the trophy going to fall to Messi or Ronaldo yet again? Who was unlucky to miss out? All these questions and more are answered below.
The Key Nominees
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Consisting of three strikers, one winger and one midfielder, we have narrowed down the thirty Ballon d'Or nominees to a selection of five players.
These variety of players all have a chance of winning the greatest individual trophy in world football (some with a greater chance than others). It would be simple to just alienate Messi and Ronaldo from the rest of the group and compare the two powerhouses, however it is always important to give the underdogs a chance to justify their reasoning for being on the shortlist.
Below are the statistics for some of the world's best players' 2017-18 seasons so far:
Lionel Messi trumps the rest of the world in some of the most significant statistics that we can observe. With the majority of these players being attackers, the number of goals scored is obviously a notable factor to consider.
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Messi leads the way with 11 goals this season, and his main rival Cristiano Ronaldo has not netted a La Liga goal so far (although he has played significantly less matches). Lionel Messi also beats his opponents on shot accuracy, assists and chances created; whilst being the joint-top key passer alongside fellow Argentinian Paulo Dybala.
In the current season, the 23 year old has surprisingly not trailed far behind his four-time Ballon d'or winning mentor. Whilst Messi is the outstanding goalscorer in La Liga (no other player has more than six goals), Dybala has scored only one goal less.
As mentioned before, Dybala has the same amount of key passes as Messi (something that the Barcelona player is profoundly credited for), whilst creating only two less chances. These statistics suggest that Paulo Dybala could be a low-profile underdog for the Ballon d'Or 2017.
Image: PA
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It is also not a surprise to see Luka Modric offering the best defensive statistics, having won the most tackles and interceptions on the list.
However due to the track record of the Ballon d'Or being bias towards attacking players, it is unlikely that Luka Modric can turn the heads of the diverse international jury who decide the winner.
In the other season overlapping the year of 2017, the 2016/17 season saw Lionel Messi once again succeed his rivals on goals scored, assists and chances created. Messi netted twelve more times in La Liga than Cristiano Ronaldo and topped the Real Madrid winger's assists by 50%.
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A surprising revelation from these statistics is that Luka Modric scored surprisingly well in terms of shot accuracy last season, having hit 71% of his shots on target. This is incredible for a midfielder as the Croatian had a higher shot accuracy than Messi, Ronaldo, Kane and Dybala.
Luka Modric also makes his defensive qualities clear by completing 24 tackles and 44 interceptions. Another unexpected statistic is that Harry Kane managed 16 tackles last season - whilst playing upfront.
Luka Modric had an outstanding 2015/16 season, whilst Paulo Dybala is tearing Serie A apart in the 2017/18 season.
Could these two players unsettle Messi and Ronaldo's chances of clenching the Ballon d'Or once again?
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Image: PA
Who was unlucky to miss out on the 30-man shortlist?
Casemiro
Whilst we praise Luka Modric's world class defensive duties, his midfield partner Casemiro has been immensely underappreciated. Whilst Modric completed 24 tackles last season, Casemiro managed a stunning 70 tackles won.
Casemiro only completed one less interception than Modric, while maintaining an impressive 85% pass completion rate. Aside from statistics, Casemiro scored a stunning goal in Real Madrid's Champions League Final triumph against Juventus (seen below). Should Casemiro have been granted a place on the 30-man shortlist?
Dani Alves
At the age of 34, Dani Alves remains arguably the best right-back in the world. The Brazilian paceman was vital in Juventus' successful journey in the Champions League, probably making his former team Barcelona wish they had never sold their club legend. Alves joined financial powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain in the summer transfer window, hoping to claim a fourth Champions League title. If this is not enough to prove how experienced the right-back is, Dani Alves has also been to more major finals than any club has been to in the past 11 years.
Image: PA
Manuel Neuer
Perhaps one of the only goalkeepers to revolutionise their position, Manuel Neuer was the inventor of the 'sweeper' keeper in the modern era. German goalkeeper coach Andreas Kopke claimed that he had "never seen a better sweeper than Neuer, apart from maybe Beckenbauer". An expert in the field of penalties, Neuer has saved one-third of penalties faced in his career (18 of 52).
The German giant is even composed on the other side of the penalty spot, having netted against Chelsea in the Champions League Final. Having finished 3rd in the Ballon d'Or in the past (which was a disappointing finish for the Bayern Munich captain), it is very questionable as to why Manuel Neuer missed out this time around.
Image: PA
Fan's reactions
Here is the full 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or 2017:
Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain) Luka Modric (Real Madrid) Paulo Dybala (Juventus) Marcelo (Real Madrid) N'Golo Kante (Chelsea) Luis Suarez (Barcelona) Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid) Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) Dries Mertens (Napoli) Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) David de Gea (Manchester United) Harry Kane (Tottenham) Edin Dzeko (Roma) Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)
Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) Sadio Mane (Liverpool) Radamel Falcao (Monaco) Lionel Messi (Barcelona) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund) Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain) Mats Hummels (Bayern Munich) Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) Eden Hazard (Chelsea) Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus) Isco (Real Madrid) Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
Words by Matthew Jones (@MatthewJ_Joness)
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Ballon d'Or
