If there were any doubts about who should collect the Ballon d’Or in today’s FIFA awards ceremony, Barcelona’s attacking trio dispelled them in the game against Granada. Leo Messi, with a hat-trick, and Neymar Jr., netting the fourth, put their candidacies to the fore.
Messi will show up in Zurich with five trophies under his arm, as will Neymar. The only one that got away was the Spanish Super Cup, but their contributions have been decisive in all of the competitions which they have played in. Messi can even boast having scored at least one goal in every tournament played in 2015.
Unless there are any surprises to come, Leo Messi will take home his fifth Ballon d’Or after finishing last season on scintillating form, even though he was hindered by a knee injury early on this season which sidelined him for almost two months. His link-up play with Neymar and Suárez has led to a slight variation in his style of play, where he has sacrificed finding the back of the net for team play to some degree. Nevertheless, Messi’s three goals against Granada have put him on a haul of nine in La Liga.
Neymar, who makes his first foray into the Ballon d’Or finals, is looking like a sure-fire winner in the future when Lionel Messi’s long reign comes to an end.
Voting for the four players’ and coaches’ awards was made by national team coaches and captains together with journalists around the world named on a list compiled by France Football and FIFA, whose votes are then counted by an electronic system monitored by a notary public. The coaches, captains and media that vote for the award select their first, second and third choice for each particular accolade with five, three and one points assigned. Agency report
