Who should win the Ballon d'Or?

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.

Strength in depth key to titles

It looked nothing more than a routine win for Chelsea on Tuesday as they dispatched Arsenal 2-0 in the Capital One Cup, and it highlighted the value of strength in depth when it comes to challenging for silverware on multiple platforms.

Opinions remain divided over the value of the English League Cup, with the current trend seeing Premier League teams using the various rounds as glorified reserve squad matches to give their fringe players a run out in competitive action.

Even in the case of the Gunners, who have not won a piece of silverware in eight years and who would have viewed this cup as a legitimate target at the beginning of the campaign, Arsene Wenger still preferred to hand a large number of his second-team players a run out, regardless of what the trophy would mean to the club.

However, the north London side's squad weaknesses were brought to the fore against the Blues as second-choice full-back Carl Jenkinson, one of eight changes made from the team that beat Crystal Palace in the league on Saturday, endured a horror outing at the Emirates Stadium. It was Jenkinson's weak attempt to head the ball back to his goalkeeper that gifted Cesar Azpilicueta the opener while another error from the defender after half-time eventually led to Chelsea's second.

It was not only in defence where Arsenal looked out of depth, though, with Nicklas Bendtner being given his chance to start up front, but doing nothing to warrant further looks from the gaffer following a dire, aimless performance. Ryo Miyaichi too looked lost down the right wing, the channel from where most of the Gunners' attack usually develop.

Arsenal had, however, started the match with the star players the likes of Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla in the centre of the park, although the gaping holes in defence and attack made the midfield job that much more difficult for the hosts, and all too easy for Mourinho's Chelsea.

It was by no means a 'first-choice' Blues team that romped to victory, either, as no fewer than 10 changes had been made from the side that beat Manchester City 2-1 in the top-flight on Sunday, with Gary Cahill the only player to get the nod in both games.

However, where Arsenal's back-up pickings were slim, Mourinho was able to call on players who could otherwise make up another full first team squad and, more importantly, one capable of winning trophies.

As it was, veteran stars Juan Mata, Michael Essien, Willian, John Obi Mikel, Gary Cahill and Samuel Eto'o were just some of the 'fringe' players utilised by the manager on the night, signalling a massive gulf in quality in the respective tacticians' options.

The fact Chelsea could go from scalping one of the Premier League title hopefuls in City to chalking up a second successive win by besting their rivals in the League Cup just two days later is testament to the squad depth needed to challenge on multiple fronts, and it would appear the Blues have this in spades.

A lot of credit for the options at Stamford Bridge goes down to the club's free-spending acquisition of star players over the years, where club owner Roman Abramovich's fortunes have previously made deals for David Luiz (£21m), Mata (£23.5), Essien (£24.5), Oscar (£25m), Eden Hazard (£32m) and Fernando Torres (£50m) possible.

The recent transfer period alone saw Willian (£31), Andre Schurrle (£19m) and Marco van Ginkel (£8) brought in by the west London giants, while veterans Mark Schwarzer and Samuel Eto'o (both free) were also signed in preparation for another gruelling campaign.

However, even with the current crop at Mourinho's disposal, the Portuguese tactician is more than likely to again delve into the market come January, with a move for a better player or more competent cover always on the horizon.

And while money does have a big part to play, it's not as if Arsenal are struggling on the financial table, having posted the greatest profit of any of last term's 20 Premier League teams, while they flaunted their spending power with the £45million signing of Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid in the recent transfer window.

However, that proved the only notable move made by the north London club, with Yaya Sanogo and Mathieu Flamini joining on free transfers, while goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano was brought in on loan.

Chelsea, on the other hand, added no fewer than eight members to their squad, two of them on the free while the other six cost a combined £66million.

So, while Arsenal may have started the season in blistering form, leading to their place at the top of the Premier League standings, it is in their squad depth where some of the biggest questions will be asked - questions Chelsea already seem to be able to answer with 10 of their arms tied behind their back.

By Ryan Gordon