Revisiting the 2013 Ballon d'Or: When Franck Ribery made a solid case for the award

Cristiano Ronaldo won the 2013 Ballon d'Or, after polling 27.99% of the votes cast, with Lionel Messi (24.72%), and Frank Ribery (23.36%) rounding up the top three.

This was the closest Ballon d'Or call in history, while it was also marked by discrepancies, with FIFA curiously choosing to extend the deadline for voting and asking voters that they could change their previous ballot after ''taking into account recent performances."

The 2013 Ballon d'Or went down in infamy as one of the most controversial, with the deserving winner controversially denied the award.

Here, in continuation of our series highlighting players who were denied Ballon d'Or wins between 2008 and 2018, we shall be making a case for why Frank Ribery and not Cristiano Ronaldo was the most deserving winner of the 2013 Ballon d'Or.

The 2013 Ballon d'Or winner - Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo scored four goals against Sweden to fire Portugal to the 2014 World Cup

After four years of playing second fiddle to Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo finally got his hands on his second Ballon d'Or in 2013.

It was however not a straightforward triumph for the Portuguese icon, as his victory only came about after FIFA had extended its earlier deadline for voting, with reports emanating that he had not topped the polls before the extension.

Ronaldo's journey to a second Ballon d'Or triumph was one fraught with numerous trials and travails, with accusations and counter-accusations trailing each award handed out by FIFA within that time-frame.

Back in 2013, Messi was the poster child of football, with his on-field calm demeanour and seeming humility drawing him to fans and the media alike, while many were put off by Ronaldo's supposed petulance and arrogance.

In the lead-up to the 2013 Ballon d'Or, FIFA president Sepp Blatter weighed in on the debate and declared that he preferred Messi, describing the Argentine as every parent's dream child, while the other spent more fees at the saloon and acted like a general on the field.

This led to a general uproar and laid credence to the claims by many that FIFA was partial towards Lionel Messi.

In the week after the deadline for the Ballon d'Or voting had passed, Ronaldo put up an emphatic performance, scoring five goals across two legs to send Portugal through to the World Cup at the expense of Sweden.

Sepp Blatter controversially stated a preference for Messi

This sparked Ballon d'Or discussions and his performance in that high-profile fixture coupled with Blatter's disgraceful comments forced FIFA's hands to make the most incredulous of decisions.

In the 2012/2013 season, Ronaldo scored 55 goals and assisted 13 times from 55 matches in all competitions for Real Madrid, with his total for the year 2013 reading 69 goals from just 59 appearances (his highest goal return in a calendar year till date).

However, for all of his heroics, Ronaldo ended the season with just the Spanish Super Cup to show for his efforts, with Barcelona regaining the league title from Los Blancos while city rivals Atletico Madrid defeated them in the Copa del Rey final (where Ronaldo was red-carded).

He was also powerless to stop Real Madrid's elimination at the hands of Borussia Dortmund, with the Germans progressing 4-3 on aggregate after a convincing 4-1 first-leg win.

While Ronaldo might have performed creditably in 2013, the fact that FIFA elected to extend the voting deadline and add the curious caveat of 'taking into account recent performance' right after his World Cup qualification heroics rubbed some sheen off the gloss.

The case for Franck Ribery to have been named the 2013 Ballon d'Or winner

Ribery led Bayern Munich to the Champions League in 2013

Having lost the Champions League final on home soil to Chelsea the year before, Bayern Munich made amends by winning the trophy in Wembley when they defeated Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the 2013 final.

The Bavarian giants had shown impressive form in getting that far, with their most impressive result coming in the semi-final where they dispatched Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate and one of the players who helped them o their journey was Franck Ribery.

The former French international revolutionised the game of football, with his successful execution in the inverted wing role opposite Arjen Robben playing a key role in its global adoption and widespread use.

He, however, cemented his reputation in the upper echelons of football with his displays during the 2012/2013 season and played his way into the Ballon d'Or discussion.

Dortmund had won consecutive Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012, but Bayern Munich wrested the title back from them in some style, garnering a total of 91 points, with the title secured after just 28 matchdays, while they lost only one fixture in the process.

Ribery played a key role in the record-breaking campaign, scoring 10 goals and assisting 15 times from just 27 matches to help Bayern Munich win the first of what has become seven consecutive league titles.

While he might have scored just one goal and assisted five times from 12 matches as Bayern Munich won their fifth Champions League trophy, it took nothing away from Ribery's immense contributions, as his value lay not in goals or assists, but in his ability to affect the outcome of games in ways like no other could.

The former Marseille man mastered the uncanny knack of initiating attacking plays with his direct running. His dribbling and close control also drew defenders to him and left spaces in behind for his teammates to exploit.

In the semi-final clash with Barcelona, Ribery was almost unplayable and it was he who instigated most of the attacks that led to a 7-0 aggregate demolition, while he also starred directly with two assists.

The final at Wembley saw Bayern Munich come up against domestic rivals Borussia Dortmund in what was their third final in just four years.

The fixture was highly open, with both sides going at one another in an attempt to wrest control, but with the fixture locked at 1-1 and seemingly headed for extra time, Frank Ribery was on hand to decide the outcome of the game with a brilliant piece of skill.

He showed great technique to control a long ball from Dante with his chest and then held off the challenge of Lukasz Piszczek on the edge of the area before releasing Arjen Robben with a deft backheel.

The Dutchman converted to give Bayern Munich her fifth European trophy with less than two minutes left to play.

For his role in their Champions League triumph, Frank Ribery was named the 2013 UEFA Best Player in Europe (precursor to the UEFA Best Men's Player).

Ribery was named the UEFA Best Player in Europe in 2013

A week after dispatching Dortmund at Wembley, the Bavarians defeated VFB Stuttgart in the final of the DFB Pokal to become the first German side to win a continental treble.

Winning a treble in football is such a rarity that only seven clubs have managed to do so in the history of European football.

The fact that Bayern Munich did so in 2013 made it logical that the most important player in their record-breaking feat should have been given the Ballon d'Or and by all accounts, that player was Frank Ribery.

Furthermore, Ronaldo's efforts in 2013 yielded no tangible team success, while the decision to extend the voting deadline cast further aspersions on an award that was already viewed with suspicion.