FIFA have confirmed that Alexis Sanchez has made the 23-man shortlist for the 2015 Ballon d’Or after catching the eye of ‘football experts’ over the last twelve months.
It has been quite the year for the Chilean who not only secured an FA Cup medal and scored the winning shootout penalty in the Copa America final, but also played a lot with his dogs Humber and Atom on Instagram and kicked footballs very hard into nets across the globe. We like him; he’s a phenomenal physical specimen.
The winner of the gong – 99% likely to be either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo because Arsenal fans can’t vote – will be announced via video link by Sepp Blatter in mid-January with the victor expected to pick up the trophy from the Swiss’ skull-shaped island lair in the Pacific.
Arsene Wenger is also up for World Coach of the Year. It isn’t all good news for the Gunners camp as David Ospina, who’d been included on the Ballon d’Or 59-man longlist, didn’t make the cut. A fucking shambles if you ask us.
Tonight’s opponents, Bayern Munich, have five men on the shortlist. *Gulp*
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23-man shortlist for the 2015 Ballon d’Or
Sergio Agüero (Argentina/Manchester City)
Gareth Bale (Wales/Real Madrid)
Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid)
Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/VfL Wolfsburg/Manchester City)
Eden Hazard (Belgium/Chelsea)
Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden/Paris Saint-Germain)
Andrés Iniesta (Spain/FC Barcelona)
Toni Kroos (Germany/Real Madrid)
Robert Lewandowski (Poland/FC Bayern Munich)
Javier Mascherano (Argentina/FC Barcelona)
Lionel Messi (Argentina/FC Barcelona)
Thomas Müller (Germany/FC Bayern Munich)
Manuel Neuer (Germany/FC Bayern Munich)
Neymar (Brazil/FC Barcelona)
Paul Pogba (France/Juventus)
Ivan Rakitić (Croatia/FC Barcelona)
Arjen Robben (Netherlands/FC Bayern Munich)
James Rodríguez (Colombia/Real Madrid)
Alexis Sánchez (Chile/Arsenal)
Luis Suárez (Uruguay/FC Barcelona)
Yaya Touré (Côte d’Ivoire/Manchester City)
Arturo Vidal (Chile/Juventus/FC Bayern Munich)
10-man shortlist for World Coach of the Year
Massimiliano Allegri (Italy/Juventus)
Carlo Ancelotti (Italy/Real Madrid)
Laurent Blanc (France/Paris Saint-Germain)
Unai Emery (Spain/Sevilla FC)
Pep Guardiola (Spain/FC Bayern Munich)
Luis Enrique Martínez (Spain/FC Barcelona)
José Mourinho (Portugal/Chelsea)
Jorge Sampaoli (Argentina/Chilean national team)
Diego Simeone (Argentina/Atlético Madrid)
Arsène Wenger (France/Arsenal).
Wenger – FA Cup and the best record in the PL i2015.
Has he a chance?
No.
Ultimate proof of FIFA corruption.
I think the only real contenders for Manager of the season are Emery, Sampaoli and Luis Enrique with Enrique getting the gong because, as everyone knows, the only real sign of a quality manager is the number of trophies he gets in an year. Breaking through the financial vicious cycle imposed by the rich clubs and lawmakers through sustainability? Pffft…
Although, to be fair to Fifa, they did announce Wenger as the coach of the decade (2000 – 2010) albeit its was awarded by FIFA’s statistics department.
That’s a low blow blogs, leave ospina alone.
I didn’t write this article!
I wrote it. I don’t see it as a low blow. More a slap in the chops.
Oh. the Arseblog brothers! been a long while since I saw the two of you ……………… together.
Get out while you still can Dave
The Ballon D’or has become a it f a farce over these last few years, with realistically only Messi or Ronaldo going to win it.
To be fair, they are deservedly a bracket above the rest of the world. I look forward to the day when it becomes many horse race again, and becomes a prize that many polymers have a chance of winning
There’s a sad lack of polymers generally on this list.
Arteta’s hair is top polymer.
Flamini didn’t make the list too ? , even after his false-9 performance vs Sp*rs ?
“Because Arsenal fans can’t vote” and the “Skull shaped island lair” made me chuckle.
Is Touré on the list for best cake-related tantrum? I think he might be a shoo-in if so.
Bollocks d’Or!
#ssnhqsanchez
If only :((
#Goal8
amirite?
Meanwhile in fantasy dream world in January 2016:
The Bollocks d’Or (by this point the official name of this charade) will be announced via video link by Sepp Blatter from Saint Helena in mid-January with the victor expected to pick up the trophy from the prison island in the South Atlantic.
So what if they have 5 B’d’or on the shortlist, we have One Arsene Wenger!
For a long time Wenger has been accused (quite rightly at times) about tactical inflexibility. However he has sprung a few surprises this calendar year. Hopefully he comes up something that throws Bayern off course and we win the game even if it’s 1-0, having started Flamini as a striker and parking the bus!
Matt Macey in goal, and Petr Cech and Oli Giroud as two target men up front.
Stats can’t lie Barca 5 Real 5 Bayern 5 and English-based 5, so how can the EPL be the best, answer is because its a team sport. So why isn’t there a ballon for the best team?
However there is only 1 player with 2 managers nominated, and that is Alexis, so are his managers there just because of him?
Surely the Ballon D’or for the best team is called the Champions League final??
Heh
Would have been shoe in for Ballon ‘dor were it not been for that Dynamo howler dammit!
I can’t understand the players of Real in this list. They have won nothing last season and still some make the cut??? Example: Kroos… Useless player. With him (without Mesut) Germany was third last year for the first half of the Euro qualification campaign and since his arrival, Real has won nothing… Wouldn’t be in Real, wouldn’t be in the list…
I do hope your joking when you say Kroos is a ‘useless player.’
qatar has a good chance at both
If Henry, Bergkamp and Pires never won it, I would say it unlikely that any Arsenal player ever will!
Only players who regularly win or get to the final/semi’s of the champions league win, which obviously rules our players out. Change that and they’re in with a shot!
You should have found him a suit that fits at least. Heh
Is Javier Mascherano really the best defender in the world? He’s the only defender left on the list…
The only thing interesting in this contest is who will come 3rd.
Hey Alexis, you can win the crumby Ballon D’Or gold covered chocolate ball prize if you score a hat trick and sink Bayern over two legs.;)