5 reasons why David De Gea should win the Ballon d'Or?

I can already hear most of you collectively shout, “whaaaaaaaaat?!” after reading the title – and some of them would include even De Gea’s most ardent fans. But let me make this clear: this is a piece on the reasons that justify the Spanish goalkeeper winning the award should he win it.

To many – especially Manchester United fans – David De Gea is God. Nah, wait, scrap that and keep this: God is David De Gea. After his performance against Arsenal in United’s 3-1 win, he was hailed for his abilities as a shot-stopper as almost nothing went past him.

It was not as though that Arsenal were playing like… well… Arsenal. Indeed, on any other day against any other goalkeeper, Wenger’s men might well have taken a point from the game at least. But that day, there was no getting past the keeper of Spain and Manchester United.

With the Ballon d’Or gala nearing, here are 5 reasons why De Gea should win the award:

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#5 Insanely good form

Watching De Gea from his Atletico Madrid days makes me wonder as to what could have happened had Sergio Asenjo lived up to his potential. Indeed, Asenjo was the more hyped shot-stopper, but De Gea slowly worked his way up the ladder and became Atletico’s number one.

After that, he left for Manchester United and now, as I reminisce about his early days at Old Trafford, I once again find myself in a world of wonder: what could have happened had Sir Alex listened to the disgruntled fans and sold him after his tough start to his United career?

We will never know that, but what we do know is that the Spaniard is enjoying the best form of his life and it is high time that someone or something acknowledges that.

Winning the Ballon d’Or would be a good start

#4 A goalkeeper wins the Ballon d’Or

The greatest: Lev Yashin is the only goalie to have won the Ballon d'Or

The last time a goalkeeper won the Ballon d’Or, my father was probably roaming around our village and ancestral home in his nappies.

Lev Yashin of Russia, who once claimed that the secret behind his superhuman goalkeeping abilities was to "to have a smoke to calm your nerves, then toss back a strong drink to tone your muscles,” was the last and only goalkeeper to ever win the Ballon d’Or award.

In his career as a goalkeeper, Yashin made a record 151 penalty saves and over 270 clean sheets for the teams that he played for. So, he was something – and David De Gea is something too.

While there is no doubt that Lev Yashin was perhaps the greatest goalkeeper of all time, it can’t also be denied that De Gea may also be on the greatest ever list by the time he hangs up his boots.

At this point in time, with the form that he is, he should be considered for this trophy as it is about time that a goalkeeper wins the award.

#3 Goalkeepers and defenders deserve credit

Cannavaro was unbeatable at the World Cup 2006

Good God, isn’t that already way past its due time? There are a lot of football pundits who believe that attacks win you games whilst defences wins you championships and yet those championship winning players that are a part of the defence never get the credit for what they do.

If one is to look for the last time a defender or keeper won the award, they would have to go way back to 2006 when Fabio Cannavaro won the award for his exceptional performances in the World Cup of 2006.

Before him, one would have to go a further ten years back to find another defender that lifted this award as Matthias Sammer won the award in 1997. In fact, Cannavaro was only the fourth player from the defensive side of the game to win the award, with the previous three being the aforementioned Lev Yashin, Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer.

So, as we all know, Ballon d’Or is a forward-biased award and it's about time that someone with a defensive mindset won the coveted award.

#2 Best player in the Premier League

De Gea has been consistent for the Red Devils & La Furia Roja

Many names will be thrown at this point. Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Eden Hazard and the likes will be pushed forward by the fans. After all, how dare I name a goalkeeper as the best player in the Premier League?

But let's be frank here, is there any other player that has had a bigger impact on his team's final standings on the Premier League table like David De Gea has had for Manchester United over the last two to three seasons?

Yes, Eden Hazard and the rest of the attacking players wow the world with their flashiness, their goals and/or assists help their respective teams to win games, but they aren't always as effective in every game.

The only attacking player that is on for 95% of the time is Lionel Messi, so let's not even think about the rest.

And this is where De Gea stands out from the rest. His ability to save his team in every single game is what makes him such an important presence in front of goal. Only goodness knows how many points he has saved for the Red Devils.

#1 Enough of Messi and Cristiano

Enough of these two already

Oh, for pity's sake, when will these two stop their domination over this award? Isn’t it getting too monotonous already? Prosaic is the word I am looking at here and the last 9 Ballon d’Or awards have been just that.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Lionel Messi, Lionel Messi, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo – this has been the sequence of the last 9 Ballon d’Or awards and I, for one, am getting very tired of it.

These two are monsters are geniuses and possess attributes that makes it seem like everyone else is playing a different sport. When these two play at their optimum level, it feels like football isn’t a sport anymore, it becomes art and the duo are the footballing reincarnations of Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh.

But this has to end. I know I sound silly here, but this, for the sake of unpredictability and randomness has to end. I want to live in a world where nobody has any clue as to who would be the next Ballon d’Or winner.

I want to be in a world where there are 5 or 6 players who could win the Ballon d’Or – and not just two.