The Ballon d'Or conversation should heat up in coming days and it is now time to look at players that could be in the running for the top individual prize in international soccer.
In the last edition of this series, the focus was placed on the legitimate front runners. As the winner of the last four Ballon d'Or awards, Lionel Messi is an automatic lock for a top three finish, while his immediate rival Cristiano Ronaldo is also likely to get equal recognition. Frank Ribery has emerged in the conversation thanks to a ton of endorsements around the world and his recent Best Player in Europe Award, while Neymar's performance for Brazil continues to turn heads.
For this edition, we focus on players currently playing for Spanish clubs.
When one looks at the landscape of Spanish soccer, it is easy to look at only the top two teams on the totem pole—and for good reason. Many of the top players in the world play for one of these two sides and it is unlikely for FIFA to look elsewhere unless one of these sides flourishes tremendously. However, one player stands out amongst the rest of the pack.
David Villa currently plays for Atletico Madrid and is having a resurrection of sorts with his new club. In just four Spanish League games, he has two goals and one assist. He also scored a goal in the Spanish Super Cup, bringing his total to three for Madrid. The club currently sits in a tie for first with Barcelona in a portrait that is very similar to last season when Radamel Falcao led Los Colchoneros to the top two in the league for most of the year. While Villa seems to be stepping in remarkably well for Falcao, it is important to note that the Colombian was coming off a Europa League championship with Atletico and these achievements played into the voting consideration. The first half of Villa's 2013 was riddled with frustration and his form was mediocre at best. If he continues to step up for his new club he may be in the running, but his chances are highly unlikely. Villa was a nominee for the 2011 Ballon d'Or and finished 14th.
Barcelona
Five Barcelona stars were in the top 23 in last year's final ranking, one of which was Messi. Remarkably, the number was down from seven in the 2012 race and could go down yet again this year. In last year's addition, Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernandez, Gerard Pique and Andres Iniesta comprised the other Barcelona nominees; Iniesta finished in third place behind Ronaldo and Messi. However, it is likely that some of these men could find themselves off of the list this year. One man who is unlikely to show up is Pique. He had a disastrous 2012-13 season that was highlighted by his showing in the Champions League semifinal against Bayern Munich. He was slow, looked lost on the field and scored an own goal in the second leg. Things worsened during the Confederations Cup for Spain when he got a red card for taking down Neymar in a 3-0 loss to Brazil in the final. Busquets has been a steady presence, but Barcelona's poor play could hamper his chances. Iniesta has always remained consistent and could be immune to Barcelona and Spain's failures when the voting comes about. The same could go for Xavi, if not for the fact that the midfield maestro has looked out of sorts in recent matches. His passing for both club and country has lacked the precision of his better years and both teams' results are in some sort of correlation with his play.
The one man who did not make the list last year but could very well represent Barcelona on the list is Cesc Fabregas. The Spaniard has had an excellent start to the season and was vital in Spain's early success at the Confederations Cup. His absence in later rounds left a gaping hole in Spain's midfield that no one could fill. The other candidate that could get a look is Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean has been considered a bust for Barca throughout his career, but he has been great for the team early on in 2013-14.
The likely finalists from this list are Iniesta, Xavi and Fabregas; Messi and Neymar will give Barcelona five finalists.
Real Madrid
Over in Real Madrid, the international focus is quite different. While Barcelona's success seemingly moves in parallel with Spain's, Real Madrid's does not. Of course, Madrid did undergo a forgettable season in 2012-13, but the start of 2013 was actually quite good for the club and its players. Last year's Ballon d'Or list featured six, an increase from 2011 when they only had five. In 2012, the six finalists were Ronaldo, Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema, Mesut Özil and Xabi Alonso. Most of these players will not make it back on the list in 2013. Ronaldo is a lock as we said earlier, but Casillas is definitely not going to find his name amongst the nominees. He barely played a game for Madrid at the end of the 2012-13 season and was not particularly impressive for Spain in the Confederations Cup. He has been sidelined by new Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti to start the year and unless he is herculean in his rumored Champions League matches, it is unlikely he sees enough playing time to convince anyone that he is an MVP candidate. Özil is gone, but will likely get a nomination as a joint member of Arsenal and Real Madrid. Xabi Alonso will not make the list as he has been out with injury for most of the year. Benzema's poor form for France and his erratic display last season for Los Blancos will also keep him off the list as well. Ramos could still get a look but he has been inconsistent all year long and he does not have a Euro Cup victory or Spanish League trophy to lean on like he did in 2012.
Isco could get a look after his terrific performance for Malaga in the early part of 2013 as well as his formidable start for Madrid in the 2013-14 season. Gareth Bale is another Madrid candidate after his impressive display for Tottenham last season. He still needs to finish strong to convince voters that he is a viable candidate. Many could call on Diego Lopez to get a look, but goaltenders are rarities in this contest unless they have extraordinary years. Lopez has been solid but hardly the quality that would get him a look over other major keepers.
Madrid's finalist will likely be Özil, Bale and Ronaldo.
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