| NAME | TEAM | LEAGUE | |
| Lahm, Neuer, Schweinsteiger, Ribery, Robben, Muller | Bayern Munich | Bundesliga | |
| Lewandowski | Borussia Dortmund | Bundesliga | |
| Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Neymar | Barcelona | La Liga | |
| Ronaldo, Bale | Real Madrid | La Liga | |
| Cavani, Ibrahimovic, T.Silva | PSG | Ligue 1 | |
| Falcao | Monaco | Ligue 1 | |
| Hazard | Chelsea | Premier League | |
| Suarez | Liverpool | Premier League | |
| Van Persie | Manchester United | Premier League | |
| Yaya Toure | Manchester City | Premier League | |
| Ozil | Arsenal | Premier League | |
| Pirlo | Juventus | Serie A |
Eliminated in Europe in the group stages, it is inexplicable that Toure can be nominated ahead of Dortmund midfield stars Ilkay Gundogan, Marco Reus and Mario Gotze. The presence of just one Borussia Dortmund player, Robert Lewandowski, is insulting. This is a team who lit up the Champions League in 2013 along with Bayern Munich.
And a team that defeated Mesut Ozil’s Real Madrid in the semi-final after a 4-1 thrashing at Westfalenstadion. The playmaker was totally overrun by the above trio in that game and didn’t score a goal for Madrid in 2013 until April. His presence on the Ballon d’Or shortlist is purely a reaction to his high-profile big-money move to Arsenal in the summer, for whom he has played just eight times since.
The inclusions of Eden Hazard and Luis Suarez are less controversial, but also very debatable. Hazard has reserved his best form for the start of the 2013-14 campaign, but if that is sufficient to make the cut then Francesco Totti, Aaron Ramsey and Diego Costa should be inserted too. Suarez has been world class almost every time he has taken to the pitch in 2013, but he has missed almost a third of his club’s games this year due to suspension.
And a team that defeated Mesut Ozil’s Real Madrid in the semi-final after a 4-1 thrashing at Westfalenstadion. The playmaker was totally overrun by the above trio in that game and didn’t score a goal for Madrid in 2013 until April. His presence on the Ballon d’Or shortlist is purely a reaction to his high-profile big-money move to Arsenal in the summer, for whom he has played just eight times since.
The inclusions of Eden Hazard and Luis Suarez are less controversial, but also very debatable. Hazard has reserved his best form for the start of the 2013-14 campaign, but if that is sufficient to make the cut then Francesco Totti, Aaron Ramsey and Diego Costa should be inserted too. Suarez has been world class almost every time he has taken to the pitch in 2013, but he has missed almost a third of his club’s games this year due to suspension.
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