The tension for who gets crowned the 2014 African Footballer of the year was brought to a sordid end last Thursday with Yaya Toure emerging African King for the fourth time in a row without a drop in-between.
The same tension is built around the biggest honour in World football, the FIFA Ballon D’Or with three contenders; all of them winners in their own categories.
Current holder, Cristiano Ronaldo, heavily favoured to retain the award, under the year in review was arguably Real Madrid’s best player through their journey to the La Decima; their tenth Champions League win in Lisbon last year where they beat City rivals, Atletico Madrid.
The 29 year-old’s statistics in 2014, according to UEFA.com puts him way ahead of the other two
Ronaldo began the year with the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or
He is the first player to score score in ten successive UEFA Champions League away games.
He also 25 goals in five consecutive Liga seasons and ended the La Liga season as joint-highest goal scorer in Europe with Luis Suarez: scored 52 goals in 43 matches played in all competition.
He was also awarded with the 2013/14 UEFA Best Player in Europe
He capped the year with the FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco, Madrid's fourth title of 2014 and reached a record 23 La Liga hat-trick, becoming quickest player to reach 200 Spanish top-flight goals (178 games)
The year 2014 would be Manuel Neuer’s year to remember whether or not he won the FIFA Ballon D’or. Besides winning the World Cup in June, the Bayern Munich goalkeeper has been a prospect for world acclaim since he featured at the World Youth Championship in 2005.
He was voted the best goalkeeper in Brazil 2014, but before that, his records spoke; helping Bayern Munich to a treble in Germany, beating almost every opposition.
Lionel Messi is no stranger to the award he has won four times, being the only player to.
Barcelona did not win the La Liga, neither did Argentina win the World Cup but the 27 year-old made some remarkable feats in 2014
He was second behind Ronaldo at the 2013 Ballon D’Or award
Towards the ending of the year, Messi set the record for the highest goal scorer in the history of the Spanish League and the champions league.
Messi scored 49 goals in 53 games last season.
Should the team coaches, captains and journalists who’d vote consider the year under review, the records would back Ronaldo who has been chosen by many retired international who think that the Portuguese star has done enough more than Neuer and Messi to once again be named the World’s best.
Empathy may however, be accorded Manuel Neuer who amongst the three is the only yet to win the award and moreso, being a goalkeeper may be a hinderance to his winning.