Ballon d'Or 2017: 5 players who did not deserve their ranking

The Ballon d'Or 2017 ceremony was held with much hype and fanfare last Thursday, and predictably, it was Cristiano Ronaldo who claimed the top prize for his stunning performances in the latter stages of LaLiga and the UEFA Champions League.

However, while the first three positions (Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar) were predictable, there were some surprises when the final list of 30 ranks was released by France Football and L'Equipe.

We take a look at 5 players who perhaps did not deserve their high ranking in this year's Ballon d'Or:

---

#5 Mats Hummels (Rank 27)

Hummels struggled with fitness and form this year

Mats Hummels is undoubtedly one of the best defenders of this generation. However, the German defender definitely did not deserve to be among the top 30 footballers this year, especially after he struggled with some injury and form issues for Bayern Munich.

Although Bayern Munich claimed another routine Bundesliga title last season, in the Champions League they came apart against Real Madrid and Hummels' performance, like most of his Bayern Munich teammates last season, did not exactly set the world on fire.

A technically gifted defender and one of the best ball-playing centre-backs in the world, Hummels, when fit and firing, is definitely one of the best players in the world, however, him being ranked ahead of the likes of Edin Dzeko, Dries Mertens and Philippe Coutinho is slightly surprising to say the least.

#4 Kylian Mbappe (Rank 7)

Mbappe is one of the best young talents in world football at the moment

French starlet Kylian Mbappe set the world on fire and was one of the main reasons for Monaco's stunning title triumph last season. However, Mbappe was far from the only person who contributed to Monaco's success.

Players like Radamel Falcao, Bernardo Silva, Fabinho and Thomas Lemar more than played their role in Monaco's stunning 2016/17 season. While there is no doubting Mbappe's inclusion in the 30-man shortlist, him being ranked as high as 7 seems a bit undeserved.

Mbappe was undoubtedly the best youngster this year, but him being ranked above the likes of accomplished strikers like Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski seems more due to his immense potential than his actual performances this year.

#3 Karim Benzema (Rank 25)

Benzema has been booed by his own fans for some off-colour performances

Let me tell you first off that Karim Benzema's importance in the Real Madrid set-up is underappreciated. His excellent link-up play often gets the best out of Ronaldo and co and his tricky movement causes opposition defenders plenty of problems.

However, this year, Benzema has really struggled to find his scoring boots. His finishing has been woeful while his usually solid dependable link-up play has also come under increasing scrutiny.

Madrid have let go off Alvaro Morata and that has added some responsibility for the Frenchman. However, Benzema is arguably having his worst season as a Madrid player and has even struggled with injuries.

While Benzema did win the Champions League and LaLiga last season, his performances, as an individual, hardly merited a rank higher than the likes of Coutinho and Dzeko.

#2 Isco (Rank 12)

Isco has struggled to hit the heights of last season

Wait! Before all you Isco fans get your pitchforks out to completely annihilate me for including him on this list, you should know that Toni Kroos was ranked below the talented Spaniard. No one is denying that Isco deserved to be included in the 30-man Ballon d'Or, but being ranked above the likes of Toni Kroos, Paulo Dybala and Kevin De Brune, is slightly surprising.

After struggling to break into the team during the initial part of the season, Isco soon established himself as one of the main creative influences in the side. Picking out incisive through balls and scoring important goals, Isco played a crucial role in Madrid's 2016/17 Champions League and League double.

However, this season he has dropped off the pace pretty alarmingly, struggling to make much of an impact and looking jaded. While Isco was certainly among the best players in the world, the likes of Kroos, Marcelo and Dybala were arguably better than him in 2017.

#1 Luis Suarez (Rank 13)

Suarez's knee injury has really hampered his form this season

One of the best strikers of this generation, Luis Suarez arguably took his games to new heights when he made the shift to Barcelona from Liverpool. Dovetailing excellently with Messi and Neymar, Suarez even finished 4th in the Ballon d'Or 2016 rankings. However, last season Suarez failed to hit the very high standards we have become accustomed to.

Although Suarez grabbed a bagful of goals and even led the assists chart for La Liga, he was ineffective against the big teams and his usual sharpness was missing. This season, he has struggled even more, with Barcelona fans now worrying about one of their most important players.

A problematic knee injury has seemingly taken his sharpness away while the hunger also seems to be missing. Although the Uruguayan was one of the best players for Barcelona last season, a ranking of 13 seems to slightly flatter him.