Twenty-three players have been shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or, but who will be the last man standing? The Football411 brains trust pick their winners...
Lionel Messi has won the award every year since its inception in 2010 and was the last recipient of the FIFA World Player of the Year the previous year.
Many predict that it is a three-horse race, with perennial favourites Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo joined by Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery.
According to the wise men and women in the F411 offices, the common perception is not wrong...
Sky Chomse:
Who will win: Lionel Messi
Who should win: Lionel Messi
Quite simply, every time I see Messi dance his way around the opposition, the subtle drop of a shoulder here, the burst of pace there, and the almost inevitable finish that follows fills me with an inordinate amount of happiness!
Lashias Ncube:
Who will win: Franck Ribery
Who should win: Franck Ribery
In the past the race for the the Ballon d'Or has become so predictable, with the usual suspects jostling for the award and the outcome a foregone conclusion. For the first time in almost five years there is another genuine contender to break up the Lionel Messi - Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly - Franck Ribery. It would be a travesty if the Bayern Munich star missed out.
Ribery was undoubtedly Bayern Munich's talisman last season. His displays typified the Bavarians' work ethic, seamlessly marrying the individual with the collective as Jupp Heynckes' men claimed the Treble.
Between them, Ronaldo and Messi still scored a truckload of goals last season. However, by their lofty previous standards the pair had below-par campaigns. The poster-boy "usual suspects" are victims of their success. Ribery should be every true football fan's choice.
Barend Prins:
Who will win: Franck Ribery
Who should win: Lionel Messi
Messi is undoubtedly the best player on the planet and his prowess in front of goal has once again seen him score more goals than any other player in Europe's top leagues (46). He also finished as the second highest scorer in South America's World Cup qualifying with 10.
Ribery was an influential player in Bayern Munich's Champions League victory, which often influences the judges' decision in terms of whom is selected. Nevertheless, he wasn't even voted as the best player in Germany (team-mate Bastian Schweinsteiger received that honour).
Roderick MacLeod:
Who will win: Lionel Messi
Who should win: Lionel Messi
Messi should win because he fulfills the narrowly defined parameters of what the award committee seems to consider constitutes the world's best footballer.
However, I feel these awards are at best pageants, and at worst, thinly veiled PR exercises. Cynical? Perhaps, but when the front runners for this year's award are already praised on an almost hourly basis by fans, players, former players, coaches and pundits, I cannot help but wonder if they really need another night devoted to the extolling of their individual brilliance.
The focus should always be on the team, and fixating on awards like this only serves to engender a cult of personality around individual players, making it all too easy to forget about the hundreds of backroom staffers, technicians and teammates who allow these uniquely talented players to excel.
Virgil Maia:
Who will win: Lionel Messi
Who should win: Lionel Messi
It may seem like an outlandish thing to say, but I think the fact that Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d'Or for four seasons running has devalued the entire process.
Some will say; Why bother having a voting process if every man and his dog thinks and believes Messi should claim the accolade for a fifth consecutive time?
FIFA announced a 23-man shortlist this week, but is it really necessary? Apart from giving certain outstanding or in-form individuals the recognition they deserve, does it really serve any purpose other than to make up the numbers?
Perhaps they should make a separate award for Messi and exclude him from taking part! At least that way, everyone else will have a chance of making the final three for the Ballon d'Or...
Julia Harris:
Who will win: Lionel Messi
Who should win: Lionel Messi
It should be noted from the outset that this award is skewed by the fact that goal-scoring seems the currency of choice when it comes to ranking footballers. Nobody remembers the last-ditch tackles or clearances off the line made by many a defender, it terms of accolades, it's the men up front who always rake in the plaudits.
As such, it has to be Messi that takes home the honour once more - the man is an incredible talent and while his brilliant feats often fail to garner the praise they deserve due to the frequency with which they occur, he remains a cut above the rest.
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