Neuer's outside chance

Over 20 years after Lothar Matthäus managed it in 1991, a German now once again has a chance of grabing the title of World Footballer of the Year. A win for Manuel Neuer would be an honor for the player and the Bundesliga, no doubt about it.

But all the signs ahead of the final vote on January 12 suggest that Neuer only has a very slim chance. After all, Neuer is up against record-breakers Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The men known as "CR7" and "La Pulga" (the flea) respectively have shared FIFA's top individual honor every year since 2008. Bookmakers have Ronaldo - the current Ballon d'Or holder - as the favorite.

There are a number of reasons why Messi and Ronaldo keep winning this award. Between them, they hold more than 50 individual records in the Spanish League and the Champions League. Messi - with 253 La Liga goals - currently holds Spain's domestic goal-scoring record. He's also managed 91 goals in a calendar year. Ronaldo, on the other hand was the fastest to 100 league goals. This season in 12 games he's already scored 20.

Financially, these two are also streets ahead of the competiton. Ronaldo's yearly income is estimated at 17 million euros. On top of that he gets 18 million euros from sponsoring and advertizing. With Messi it's a similar story. The Barcelona man earns 24 million a year at his club, and gets another 17 million from the sponsors. Not the sort of money you would earn as a a goalkeeper in the Bundesliga.

Messi's disappointing 2014

Lionel Messi's trophy cabinet has been left empty this year though. In 2010 it was the same story, Messi won the title even though he didn't win anything internationally with Barcelona or with Argentinia. This year his chances seem slim though. Cristiano Ronaldo however has won the Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup. Domestically, his team, Real Madrid, also won the Spanish Cup.

Manuel Neuer on the other hand did win the German double in 2014. He was voted Germany's player of the year this year and he came second in the vote for European footballer of the year. Of course the high point of his year was on July 13, when he won the World Cup in Rio de Janeiro with Germany.

This title is all about personal achievement rather than team performance though. Just look at top German players like Thomas Müller, Toni Kroos or Bastian Schweinsteiger. You could think that their World Cup performances would have made them candidates for FIFA's final three nominees, but against Messi and Ronaldo they have no chance. The main reason: Messi and Ronaldo are just so consistent. For that reason alone you just can't leave them off the list.

Only a goalkeeper can do it

Even if UEFA boss Michel Platini would support a winner from Germany, apparently, it seems that Manuel Neuer has no chance. Neuer's problem is that not only coaches and captains of every national team take part in the final vote, but the ballot is also open to a select group of journalists from all 209 FIFA member states. Whether scribes from Africa, Asia and the Middle East really support Neuer seems doubtful.

The final result will be made public at the FIFA gala on January 12 in Zurich. Regardless of the outcome, it's good to see a German player in the final three. The last time it happened was in 2002 when Oliver Kahn, also a goalkeeper, was nominated. Germany's goalkeeping talent pool is well known and envied around the world. Perhaps only a goalkeeper could win it for Germany.

There's only been one defender to ever win the prize - Italian central defender Fabio Canavaro won back in 2006 after his country won the World Cup in Germany. The defenders' victory was a surprise and came after lifting the Jules Rimet trophy. Maybe it's time the feat repeated itself.