Manuel Neuer joins Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on Ballon d’Or shortlist

That Ronaldo and Messi have both once again been nominated comes as no surprise. They’re far and away the two best strikers in world football, with no one else having won this award since Kaká seven years ago. However, the inclusion of Neuer -- though almost certainly no less deserved -- does illustrate how quite absurd the Ballon d’Or is as a concept.

Without doubt, Neuer is a goalkeeper quite unlike any other on the planet. There is simply no other shot-stopper as adept with the ball at his feet, and as sharp at sweeping off his line as the German. There is probably no other goalkeeper who contributes so much in his side’s build-up play. Indeed, Germany boss Joachim Löw described him as good enough to play in midfield back in July.

But trying to quantify his value compared with a field player is a nigh-on impossible task. Goalkeepers and strikers are both instrumental to football teams, but in very different ways. Deciding between Neuer and Ronaldo or Messi is trying to decide between chalk and cheese. That could well explain why no goalkeeper has ever won this award with the exception of Soviet legend Lev Yashin: a man regarded by many to be the finest shot-stopper to have ever played the game.

Can Neuer rewrite history and follow in Yashin’s footsteps? The odds suggest not, with Cristano Ronaldo the strong favorite at present. Find out who is crowned the winner when the ceremony is held on Jan. 12.