8 players who could have won the Ballon d'Or in the last 8 years

#4 Manuel Neuer (2014)

Neuer jubilant after winning the 2014 World Cup

Playing in a position not often given awards, Neuer's 2014 performances were definitely worthy of the Ballon d'Or award; when goalkeepers missed out, it backed up the argument from people like Lahm and their frustration with the Ballon d'Or.

Simply put, Neuer was almost unbeatable during this year.

During the first half of the 2014-2015 season, the big German only conceded 4 goals in 17 league games, an astounding record. Playing under Pep Guardiola, Neuer also perfected his famous 'sweeper keeper' style of goalkeeping: he truly was like an 11th outfield player for his team when in possession of the ball.

He never appeared nervous performing this role and his skill playing passes belied his huge frame. His shot stopping ability was also unmatched in Europe, his authoritative presence in his goal striking fear into opposition's attackers.

His world-class performances also transferred to the national level, where he was instrumental in Germany winning the 2014 World Cup. Winning the Golden Glove for the tournament's best keeper, he ended up with 4 clean sheets in total. He also made crucial saves in the tense final to stop Gonzalo Higuain and Rodrigo Palacio.

Individually, Neuer won the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper award in 4 consecutive years from 2013 to 2016, highlighting his utter dominance in his position. It really isn't hard to believe that Neuer was due the Ballon d'Or for 2014 but lost out due to the bias for forwards.