The FIFA Ballon d’Or is the award for the best soccer player of the year. Cristiano Ronaldo won it back in 2008; then Lionel Messi would go on to win it four consecutive years. Ronaldo won it again last year, bringing his total to two trophies.
The contenders for this year’s player of the year were Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Manuel Neuer. All three had great seasons, but one would have to be more appealing for voters than the others.
Messi told reporters that it would be hard for him to win it knowing Ronaldo and Neuer had great success. Maybe it was a getaway for Messi to escape all the rumored transfer talks.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the 2014 FIFA Ballon d’Or winner. The Portuguese star scored 56 goals in 51 appearances for Real Madrid in all competitions in 2014. He also netted 61 goals in 60 appearances in the calendar year. Ronaldo helped his team hold up the 10th Champions League title for Real Madrid. He set a record for 17 goals in the Champions League.
Ronaldo also helped his team win the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Super Cup. The Portuguese winger broke a record for the most La Liga hat tricks with a total of 23, and, in the same match, he netted his 200th La Liga goal. Cristiano is enjoying a great start to this season as well with scoring 26 times in 17 appearances in La Liga. This is Ronaldo’s third trophy now, just one behind Messi.
“To be fair, Cristiano Ronaldo had one of the best seasons yet,” senior Wyatt Pensinger said.
The German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer only allowed in 40 goals in 62 matches. It is pretty rare for a keeper to be in the running for player of the year. Neuer was also a part of the Germany World Cup Champion team.
Cristiano Ronaldo won by a defining margin. Ronaldo earned 37% of the votes, while Messi and Neuer each only received 15% of the votes.
The Tiger Times 
Posted on January 23, 2015 by thetigertimes6
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