Neuer can’t keep out Ronaldo at Ballon d’Or

Bayern Munich and Germany goalkeeper Manuel NeuerDPA/Zurich Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo wins the Ballon d’Or world footballer of the year award for the second year in a row, to the disappointment of Germany. But it was still a successful night in Zurich for the Germans. While Cristiano Ronaldo may have rehearsed a winning speech, Manuel Neuer did not have anything down in writing in case the Ballon d’Or was his. Real Madrid’s Ronaldo had been the favourite to win the world footballer of the year award for second year in a row, so it was no surprise when he beat Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Neuer to the award in Zurich. Germany and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was not really expecting anything else Monday evening. “I was very relaxed. I did not have a speech prepared,” Neuer said with a grin. “I wouldn’t have known what to say if I had been up there (collecting the award).” In the end Neuer had to settle for third, narrowly behind four-time winner Messi after the voting was revealed at the FIFA gala. Ronaldo won 37.66 per cent of the vote, Messi was second on 15.76, while Neuer garnered 15.72 per cent. “For me it is a complete success,” Neuer said. For most people in Germany, 28-year-old World Cup-winner Neuer should have been the first keeper to be crowned player of the year despite the goalscoring exploits last year of both Ronaldo and Messi. But the keeper felt just honoured to be one of the three nominees and says coming third in the vote is not important. “It doesn’t matter. The person (Messi) who came second is not exactly unknown. I have had a fantastic 2014,” he said. The gala proved to be a triumphant evening otherwise for German football. Germany’s World Cup winner Joachim Loew won men’s coach of the year, Wolfsburg and Germany midfielder Nadine Kessler was named women’s player of the year, and Wolfsburg boss Ralf Kellermann was named women’s football coach of the year after a successful defence of the Champions League. Colombia’s James Rodriguez meanwhile won goal of the year. German football great Franz Beckenbauer said the vote for Ronaldo was “almost to be expected” but “unfair.” “Goalkeepers don’t have it easy. People want to see goals and not the people who stop them,” he said. “I find it unfair. Last year Frank Ribery (of Bayern Munich) won everything and Ronaldo nothing. Despite this Ronaldo was world player of the year. It seems at this vote it’s not success that counts but personal appearance.” Loew admitted to being “a little disappointed” for Neuer but said that with Germany “there wasn’t the one single superstar who stood out as with the Brazilians or Argentinians but an outstanding team performance.” Neuer “is of course the best goalkeeper but on the other hand you have to say fairly, Ronaldo and Messi are two outstanding players who every year score 50 or 60 goals,” Loew said. Loew meanwhile put forward Philipp Lahm, the Germany captain last year who has now stepped down from international duty, as “the player of the decade.” The Bayern Munich defender has played at three World Cups, in 2006, 2010 and 2014, twice reaching the semi-finals and lifting the trophy last year in Brazil, and at each time had been one of the top players. “He is for me a player of the last decade,” Loew said.