Source: DSG
Ballon d'Or 2015 Shortlist - Who made it and who missed out?
The Ballon d'Or is the single most prestigious prize a footballer can win and is awarded to the best player of the calendar year. Ever year it sparks controversy and this year is no different with no fewer than 59 players have been named in the so called “longlist”. The only two English players who have been named on the shortlist are Harry Kane of Spurs and Wayne Rooney of Manchester United. The clubs with the most number of players on the list are Barcelona (Claudio Bravo, Javier Mascherano, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Luis Suárez and Ivan Rakitic) and Real Madrid (Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, James Rodriguez, Toni Kroos) both with seven respectively. German Champions Bayern Munich earn five names of the list (Robert Lewandowski, Arjen Robben, David Alaba, Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer). In the Premier League, Manchester City boast five players on the list (Wilfried Bony, Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero, Nicolas Otamendi, and Kevin de Bruyne) and a notably absentee is David Silva who was overlooked by Wilfried Bony. Chelsea also have four player named (Diego Costa, Willian, Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard). Serie A Champions and Champions League finalists Juventus have six players included (Giorgio Chiellini, Paul Pogba, Alvaro Morata, Arturo Vidal, Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez) and but Gianluigi Buffon did not make the cut. Defiantly the biggest surprise of the list is the inclusion of Queen’s Park Rangers midfielder Massimo Luongo, who spent most of the year at League One Swindon. Luongo was included for his heroics in the Asia Cup, which saw him lead Australia to the title. Leicester’s Shinji Okazaki also makes the list for his performances at the Asia Cup and in the Bundesliga for Mainz. Another two shock inclusions are Christian Atsu of Bournemouth (on loan from Chelsea) and Andre Ayew of Swansea for their efforts at the Africa Cup of Nations for Ghana. Two current MLS players, one player from the Argentinian League and one player from the Liga Do Brazil join Europe's elite in the form of Giovani dos Santos (LA Galaxy), Andrea Pirlo (NYC FC), Carlos Sanchez (River Plate) and Paolo Guerrero (Corinthians). The full list: Claudio Bravo - BarcelonaJavier Mascherano - BarcelonaAndres Iniesta - BarcelonaLionel Messi - BarcelonaIvan Rakitic - BarcelonaNeymar - BarcelonaLuis Suarez - BarcelonaGareth Bale - Real MadridKarim Benzema - Real MadridSergio Ramos - Real MadridCristiano Ronaldo - Real MadridLuka Modric - Real MadridJames Rodriguez - Real MadridToni Kroos - Real MadridGiorgio Chiellini - JuventusPaul Pogba - JuventusAlvaro Morata - JuventusArturo Vidal - Juventus/BayernAndrea Pirlo - Juventus/NYCFCCarlos Tevez - Juventus/BocaRobert Lewandowski - BayernArjen Robben - BayernDavid Alaba - BayernThomas Muller - BayernManuel Neuer - BayernWilfried Bony - Manchester CityYaya Toure - Manchester CitySergio Aguero - Manchester CityNicolas Otamendi - Valencia/Manchester CityKevin de Bruyne - Wolfsburg/Manchester CityDiego Costa - ChelseaWillian - ChelseaThibaut Courtois - ChelseaEden Hazard - ChelseaEdinson Cavani - PSGZlatan Ibrahimovic - PSGJavier Pastore - PSGWayne Rooney - Manchester UnitedDavid de Gea - Manchester UnitedMemphis Depay - PSV/Manchester UnitedDavid Ospina - ArsenalAlexis Sanchez - ArsenalAntoine Griezmann - Atletico MadridJackson Martinez - Porto/Atletico MadridCarlos Bacca - Sevilla/AC MilanGiovani dos Santos - Villarreal/LA GalaxyPhillippe Coutinho - LiverpoolSon Heung-Min - Leverkusen/TottenhamChristian Atsu - Everton/BournemouthPaolo Guerrero - Flamengo/CorinthiansEduardo Vargas - QPR/HoffenheimGary Medel - InterHarry Kane - TottenhamAlexandre Lacazette - LyonAndres Guardado - PSVCarlos Sanchez - River PlateAndre Ayew - Marseille/SwanseaMassimo Luongo - Swindon/QPRShinji Okazaki - Mainz/Leicester