According to Goal.com, the 3 Ballon d'Or finalists will be announced on the 29th of November 2012. Nonetheless, what's the point of having a 23 man shortlist if only 3 make the final list. Some of these footballers know for a fact that they will not be one of the 3 finalists, and that's just sad. Nevertheless, I bet everyone has an idea of what the final list will look like.
In alphabetical order, here's the 23-man shortlist:
Andrea Pirlo
Andrés Iniesta
Cristiano Ronaldo
Didier Drogba
Gerard Piqué
Gianluigi Buffon
Iker Casillas
Karim Benzema
Lionel Messi
Manuel Neuer
Mario Balotelli
Mesut Özil
Neymar
Radamel Falcao
Robin van Persie
Sergio Agüero
Sergio Busquets
Sergio Ramos
Wayne Rooney
Xabi Alonso
Xavi Hernández
Zlatan Ibrahimović
I can't help but wonder:
§ Have the 3 finalists of the prestigious award become a cliché?
§ Will we see the same finalists as last year?
§ Will the third finalist be different this time around?
I hope this year will be different because, besides the usual 2 finalists, a few other footballers are making their mark in the world.
According to me, only 8 footballers from this list are worthy of such an honour:
Andrés Iniesta
Iniesta has been a extraordinary in midfield, for both Barcelona and Spain. Iniesta played his part to win Euro 2012 with Spain, and was voted best player of Euro 2012. He shows the same skills for Barcelona as an attacking midfielder, getting himself in front of goal.
Cristiano Ronaldo
As skipper of Portugal, CR7 lead his team from the front, scoring a brace twice for Portugal during Euro 2012, and taking his team to the semi-finals. At Real Madrid, he scored 46 goals and played a major role in helping Real Madrid lift the La Liga title and aid them in their race for the Champions League title which ended in the semi-finals.
Iker Casillas
For the past 10 years, Casillas has been at the top of Spanish football. He has been an exceptional leader, as captain of both Real Madrid and Spain. With him in front of goal, Madrid won La Liga and Spain won Euro 2012.
Lionel Messi
Barcelona only won Copa del Rey this year, however Messi has been scoring goals and breaking records at the same time. He has won Ballon d'Or three times. He's good for Argentina, but not as impressive as he has been for Barcelona. Messi has played an important role in helping Argentina in the South American FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Radamel Falcao
With a nickname like El Tigre, Falcao has proved his worth as a forward for both Athletico Madrid and Colombia. Lately, he's been the only footballer put in the same league as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Falcao has been scoring goals a lot like Ferenc Puskás of Hungary. He's also grabbed the attention of big European clubs who want to sign him during the next transfer window.
Xabi Alonso
Xabi has played a vital role in the success of both Real Madrid and Spain, at midfield. Madrid won La Liga and Spain won Euro 2012. Alonso determines the pace of the game. His outstanding performance was when Spain played against France in the Euro 2012 quarter-final, he scored twice, and it was his 100th cap.
Xavi Hernandez
Xavi has played the most league matches for Barcelona, and won the most titles too. This midfielder has been part of the game for a long time, however, he still has the ability to make Barcelona and Spain win major titles.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Ibrahimovic ended the 2011/12 season as the top goal scorer of Serie A. He scored 28 goals for AC Milan, before leaving for the French League as a Paris Saint-Germain player. Ibrahimovic was also a key player for Sweden during Euro 2012, with quite a remarkable volley he scored against France. He has been the name on people's lips, a goal scoring machine for both PSG and Sweden.
These statistics and facts sound amazing but after reading this article, Messi, Ronaldo, Iniesta or Casillas - The Clasico that decides the 2012 Fifa Ballon d'Or winner, I get the feeling the winner of Ballon d'Or will come from La Liga. I just don't get it. What about all the other leagues; Barclays Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, French League etc?
