FIFA Ballon d'Or 2015 Predictions: Why a Strong Finish Is Most Important to Winning Trophy

What does it take to win the Ballon d'Or? Goals? Trophies?

Since 2009, the award has emphasized goals. Messi outscored Ronaldo in 2009 but also had five trophies while Ronaldo had none. A year later, Messi also won the award but Ronaldo scored more Spanish League goals; Messi had three trophies while Ronaldo had one.

Despite the earlier preference for goals, the more recent awards have emphasized trophies. Messi continued to pile up more trophies that Ronaldo but his goal scoring picked up as well and climaxed in a record-shattering 92-goal effort in 2012.

Here is an interesting stat to acknowledge regarding that performance in 2012 by the Argentinean wunderkind. He actually scored 40 of his 92 goals during the last four months of the year and capped 2012 with goals in eight straight Spanish League titles. The fact that he topped Gerd Muller's record made the feat all the more recognizable and earned him the necessary buzz to win the award. How many trophies did Messi land in 2012? Only one major award and a few other minor trophies including the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup. His team did not win the Spanish League or Champions League in 2012, but Messi's scoring rate was too good to ignore.

Ronaldo won the Spanish League in 2012, but did not score as much as Messi to earn the trophy. In 2013 he did not earn a single trophy for Real Madrid but scored a solid 69 goals in the calendar year. More remarkable? He scored 18 goals for Real Madrid in the Spanish League to close out the year and added nine Champions League goals to the mix. Add in the seven World Cup qualifying goals (including a impressive four tallies against Sweden in November) and Ronaldo scored 34 of his 69 in the final four months of the year.

What does this mean? That a strong finish is more important than anything else to a Ballon d'Or win. Just look at poor Franck Ribery. His goal-scoring prowess is nowhere near Ronaldo or Messi's. But he was a major pillar for Bayern Munich in what wound up being a five-trophy year. He won three at the start of the year and picked up the UEFA player of the year award in the summer. Everything looked great for him. But Ronaldo's terrific finish made the public forget Ribery. Munich continued to dominate and Ribery was solid throughout; but this was all for naught.

What advice can be imparted for anyone looking for a Ballon d'Or win in 2015? Have a solid start, but an even better finish. Everyone remembers the guy who finished strong.