So,

The 3 have made to the shortlist... I dont even know what to say.

I think Neuer should win this, definitely, he has been amazing in both club and world cup level, and he is the world champion.

Ronaldo, has been an insane scoring machine, but failed miserably with Portugal, let's dont blame his team mates there.

Messi disappear at time and had a below-his-standard season, but have a very decent World cup, you can say all you want but he's the main reason Argentina is that far.

Robben should have been there, he's the ONE and ONLY reason the Dutch perform so amazing in the world cup. I wouldn't mind if Ronaldo or Messi is out of the top 3.

I am as disappointed as last year extension (take NOTHING away from Ronaldo, I just find it ridiculous to extend like that). Not because I think either of the 3 are not deserve, more like I feel disappointed because Robben isn't there.

If there's something annoying on this world then it's Ronaldo vs. Messi over and over again.

^I actually love the fact we are witnessing one of the greatest rivalries probably in sport's history. Idk when will we ever experience something like this again, Im just glad I will be able to tell future generations about this amazing footballers who were compared all the time.

What frustrates me is the fanboys from both sides who wont listen to anything and will go on forever talking even when they are not making sense.

@Tiki: Messi just didnt perform as well as Robben. Messi has been doing well lately but the award goes for the performer of the year and he hasnt been as constant as Robben. Peacefully I most say you are probably blinded, as many other people, by his recent performance and record breaking moments. Robben participated in an amazing Bayern side that trashed entire Germany and did very well on the CL + his performance at the WC which was ten times better than Messi's. The goals scored or assists mean nothing here. For me it's always been the overall contribution to a team and to football in general. Neuer is there because without him the entire season would have been a very different one for european football as a whole.

final conclusion on the award winner. For me it has to be Neuer because he was the one that made the difference in every match he played and should beat Ronaldo because of the WC performance they both had. Ronaldo is an amazing player but Neuer was sensational this season. This is a game that consist on teamwork, so choosing a player out of the entire team obviously is a hard thing to do. Finally I believe the importance of Neuer for both club and country was greater than that of C Ronaldo.

^ As constant, have you watched all Robben games ? He was amazing in World cup but was no near as constant as Messi.
By your logic Robben should win BO, because Messi in term of whole season stats is the same than Ronaldo.

Thats what i cant understand, i dont call me fanboy im trying to be fair : I told it before, what is the criteria ?

If WC ? Neuer.
If stats ? Messi/Ronaldo are on the same level not the others.
If Achievement+stats in Club ? Ronaldo.

Putting Ronaldo as BO and Messi out of top 3 is the real bias, because that means stats are the criteria and Messi then is at least 2nd.

Last year Ribery has won everything possible, and the trophy went to Ronaldo for stats, so logically the choice this year would be on stats, and both are on the same level, despite being opposite to ignore trophies won.

And like quickzy said, if its about the contribution to their teams, we cant compare 3 players that have 3 different position or we do it subjectively like i read here. A definite criteria should be applied, those nominations are becoming too political and i hate changing criterias each year.

It is a combination of all those factors you stated. Achievements in both club and country, individual stats or performance and relevance to the team.

so...
Achievements Club: Ronaldo then Neuer then Messi
Achievements WC: Neuer, then Messi, the Ronaldo
Individual Stats: as you said, Roanldo and Messi can be considered tied in first place and idk how to compare GK stats to striker stats so that would be up to criteria of the people who vote.
Relevance to the team: IMO Neuer was the MVP of Bayern and Germany in most of the games played this season. Ronaldo was key in Portugal but not as key in RM just like Messi in Argentina and Barcelona.

Where does Robben ranks for me in here? well...

Achievements WC Robben and Messi tied, despite having won the semi finals by penalties, I dont consider that to be a different achievement. In the end Netherland performed better in the WC than Argentina and Robben better than Messi.
Achievements club Robben > Messi
Individual stats Messi > Robben
Importance to the team/collective performance, I would consider Robben's contribution to the Netherlands team and Bayern more important than Messi's to Barcelona and Argentina.

In the end this argument wont get any of us anywhere. It is an award with no clear evaluation to determine the winner.

For me, what the team achieved with the player has the highest value to be considered for the award, because in the end football is a team game, its not about being the best individual but about being the best team.

"Ronaldo was key in Portugal but not as key in RM"

Are you kidding me? He scored 17 goals on our way to La Decima, and people are saying that he's not key to Real Madrid?

not as key... he was important for madrid, without him they would have struggled to win the CL but it is not crazy to say that without Ronaldo Madrid could have won the CL anyways. Stats dont reflect importance directly.

@Tuanis

Why don't we remove Ronaldo's goals from Madrid and then see how well Madrid do, huh? They would've lost to Dortmund without him, and almost did when he wasn't in the squad. It's exactly what happened in the final when he was injured. They struggled. It's ludicrous to say Ronaldo isn't as key to Madrid as he is in Portugal. He's the most important player in the world right now next to Messi.

Ok seems like this is going nowhere as usual. Saying that removing Ronaldo's goals would prove that Madrid really needed him is like saying that without Neuer every shot on target would have gone in.. Someone would obviously play instead of him and with that player the team would have performed well because Madrid isnt Ronaldo dependent as many think. In the final we wasn't match fit or at least not 100% and he should have not played, Madrid won without Ronaldo a final against a great team. Portugal in the other hand... well they would have ended in the lower half of the group in the qualifying round if it was not for him.

Bayern Munich without Robben and Neuer wouldn't have gone nearly as far in any competition.

@tiki look I am sorry and I may be wrong about messi however the reason ronaldo deserves the balloon d'or because he was amazing the whole year aside of the three matches in the champions league and I assume that after your opinion messi deserves to be in the top 3 however shall I recall, these past 10 years the trophy has been decided on personal stats and records than achievements which is why ronaldo tops it this year.

The reason Ribery didn't win because his stats weren't amazing but he did win trophies, however robben was also the key to the previous years bayren domination

Messi has only awaken his true form during the past few weeks and the world cup

But saying ronaldo not the key to Madrid as Benz and Ramos is absurd

Without ronaldo they lost to real sociedad and dortmund, in fact if u say that tapins are useless just look at messi's hat trick against sevilla they were tapins but no one cared because he broke a record and I'm one of them so please stop with the tapins and penaltys.

Infact all this like tapin penaltys, messi cant score vs Chelsea keepers are people who don't know football and just copy for Facebook and all that shit

So I think ronaldo should win it because it will be injustice for casillas during 2010 who wasn't even in the top 10
Ronaldo
Messi
Neur

In fact If Di Maria played the final or If Aguero had half of his actual form, Messi would have won his world cup and we wouldnt be talking about Ronaldo tap ins...

This year, it was played on details, and you should get over it, Ronaldo is a deserving winner. The extra Messi hate was pointless.

"Someone would obviously play instead of him and with that player the team would have performed well because Madrid isnt Ronaldo dependent as many think."

• We are still a world-class team without Ronaldo, but we would never be the best or have won La Decima without him. The matches without him prove that. Guaranteed.

Extra messi hate?? Where? I was in fact complimenting him