Cristiano Ronaldo's Incredible 2014 Campaign Must Lead to Ballon D'Or Glory

Real Madrid's 2-0 win over San Lorenzo in the final of the Club World Cup means Los Blancos will end one of the best years in recent club history with another trophy, and with the Ballon d'Or ceremony just weeks away, star forward Cristiano Ronaldo has to be the strong favourite to win this year's award.

Now, let me start off by saying all three nominees—Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer—are phenomenal players, and each would be deserving of this tremendous honour.

Messi remains one of the best players this sport has ever seen, and while he ultimately didn't win any silverware this season, he was instrumental in Argentina's run to the final of the 2014 World Cup. The fact he's nominated in what some would call a "down year" speaks volumes to his talent.

Argentina didn't win that final because of Manuel Neuer's Germany, and the sweeper-keeper added a Bundesliga title and the German Cup to his resume for good measure. After the year he just had, there is no longer any discussion who the best goalkeeper in the word is—it's Neuer.

And then there is Ronaldo, the star volume scorer who won La Decima with Real Madrid but fell just short in La Liga and well short at the World Cup.

Often perceived as arrogant or selfish, people were quick to point at his refusal to shake Michel Platini's hand after Saturday's final. It was looked at as yet another sign Ronaldo is not the upstanding citizen his competitors for the Ballon d'Or are—except, of course, he did shake Platini's hand:

This is what Ronaldo's life looks like and has looked like for years. With every step he takes, there will be detractors. Win the Club World Cup and the Silver Ball as second-best player? Fans of the Bundesliga, like Clark Whitney, will point to the fact Sergio Ramos was awarded the Golden Ball:

The 29-year-old has developed a sterling reputation as a dead-ball specialist in the past few years and is one of the most reliable players when it comes to kicking penalties. People speak so little of his penalties to the point BeIN Sports' Phil Kitromilides has to defend his numbers from the spot:

When is a goal not a goal? Seemingly when it is scored by Cristiano Ronaldo from the penalty spot.

The bizarre backlash over the last few days to Ronaldo's spot kick conversion rate has been difficut to comprehend, with suggestions that his phenomenal goal-scoring record is somehow belittled by the number of penalties his scores, quite frankly ludicrous.

They are still goals. They still count. Indeed some of Ronaldo's contemporaries could do with studying his technique for scoring from 12 yards, with the Real Madrid forward superior to practically anyone on the planet when it comes to punishing penalty area transgressions. 

Every top players has "haters," people who will criticise his every move in an attempt to make their favourite star look better. Likewise, fans of Ronaldo will often belittle Messi, minimising the greatness he consistently displays on the pitch.

Let's look past all that and look at the case for all three players. In the debate of Ronaldo or Messi for this year's Ballon d'Or, the Portugal international holds the advantage in silverware and pure scoring record in 2014, per 101 Great Goals:

Messi's performance at the World Cup was far superior, although it bears mentioning Ronaldo entered the tournament nursing an injury and having featured minimally during the friendlies Portugal played in preparation.

Overall, I think it's close, but voters will remember Ronaldo's incredible scoring run late in the year and give the edge to the Portuguese. According to WhoScored.com, he has scored 25 goals in just 14 La Liga appearances alone. That's just absurd.

The Ballon d'Or is about the whole of 2014 and not just the last four months. But Ronaldo's recent scoring run will be fresh in the minds of everyone voting, and expect Ronaldo to get the nod.

Sports commentator Tim Caple is of the same opinion:

As for Neuer, it's difficult not to draw parallels to 2006. Gianluigi Buffon was at the very height of his career, leading Juventus to the Serie A title and Italy to a win in the World Cup, conceding just two goals—a penalty and an own-goal—throughout the tournament.

Like Neuer, he fell just short in the Champions League, and ultimately, the award went to Fabio Cannavaro. For a goalkeeper to win the award, he needs to have a season for the ages. If he plays behind a strong defence, like Neuer and Buffon did, he needs to do the World Cup/Champions League double at the least.

That's not my opinion, by the way, but Buffon's, as he told FIFA.com (h/t FourFourTwo):

For a goalkeeper to win the award today something truly exceptional has to happen. Often the prize doesn't go to the best player, but to the player who has won more games, and who was most decisive in those victories.

So perhaps a goalkeeper will win the Ballon d'Or when he helps his team become world champions by winning four games in a row on penalties and saving every spot-kick. 

That way no one can overlook him! But something really remarkable needs to happen.

Probably Ronaldo [will win]. Even if he hadn't won the UEFA Champions League, the player who is the best at a particular moment should be rewarded.

Ronaldo - in addition to having a splendid career and maintaining a high level of performance over a long period - has done something exceptional over the last two years, and deserves the recognition.

Did Neuer revolutionise the position with his sweeper-style? No. Sweepers have been around for decades, and claiming Neuer has changed the position forever means you're ignoring the legacies of Rene Higuita, Heinz Stuy and countless others.

Ronaldo didn't win the Champions League title—Real Madrid won that as a team, and there's no denying the likes of Sergio Ramos and Angel Di Maria had a larger impact in the latter stages of that tournament. But neither was nominated for the Ballon d'Or, so it's pointless to debate their merits.

Ultimately, the final vote comes down to the eye test and sheer numbers. And this year, it appears there's no dismissing what Ronaldo did. Legendary stopper Peter Schmeichel, who would be partial to a goalkeeper winning it, certainly thinks so, per Super Sport:

So does World Cup winner Roberto Carlos, via BeIN Sports:

Forwards appear to have a monopoly on the award these days, and I for one would love to see a defender or goalkeeper win it, if only to show scoring goals isn't the only thing that matters on the pitch.

But not in 2014. Not after the phenomenal season Ronaldo just had. With all due respect toward Neuer and Messi, there's a reason the Real Madrid man is the favourite among pundits and former greats alike. He simply deserves it.

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