It was a good year to be a German soccer player. The national side dominated the World Cup and lifted its fourth title of all time.

It was even better to be Philipp Lahm as he was the man to lift the trophy at the historic Maracana as the captain of the German side.

For his merits, the defender is now on the shortlist for the Ballon d'Or. This is the third time he has made the short list with appearances in 2013 and 2010. He has never finished among the top three, but this year he has a chance to finish at the top.

Top Moment

Did we mention that he lifted the World Cup trophy? Did we mention that he was the first European to ever lift the trophy in South America?

And it was not mere ceremony. Lahm was, and as recent results have show, the most essential player on the pitch for the Germans.

He started the tournament in the middle of the pitch, a position he has become accustomed to at Bayern Munich. The 4-0 win over Portugal withstanding, it seemed like the team was heavily exposed on the backend with Lahm playing in the middle of the pitch. The captain played well against USA. But he struggled against Ghana's speed in the middle of the pitch, and the rest of the defensive line imploded throughout that match. In the Algeria game, Lahm picked up a yellow card, and the team put on its worst performance of the tournament.

Manager Joachim Loew realized his mistake in time and moved Lahm back to his natural position as a rightback. And, sure enough, Germany found stability on defense. It was this stability that transformed the Germans into a seemingly unstoppable force in the last three matches of the tournament as the French were unable to do much throughout the quarterfinals game and the Brazilians were completely destroyed. There were some issues against Argentina, but the Germans still managed to find their way and win the game.

Lahm completed 90 percent of his passes in the tournament while averaging a whopping 3.3 clearances per game. He scored two assists and averaged 1.1 key passes per game.

Low Point

While Lahm reached Mount Olympus with Germany, he experienced the depths of hell as a member of Bayern Munich.

The German side was expected to reclaim its Champions League crown and was the favorite to win at home against Real Madrid. But Lahm could do little as his team imploded 4-0 against the eventual champions.

Why He Will Win

He captained his national side to the most prestigious trophy in the world. He was instrumental in improving Germany's defense thanks to his versatility.

It also helps that he won two trophies with Bayern Munich this season, something that cannot be overlooked.

Why He Will Not Win It

Injuries have hampered his play in recent months, but the real reason he is unlikely to walk away with the individual prize is because he is a defenseman.

Goal scoring has been a major decider of the winner in the past few years, something that Lahm rarely does. In fact, he only has two goals and two assists this season.

For perspective, there are only two defensemen and two goalies on the shortlist. There are only six midfielders as well; the rest of the shortlist consists of forwards. That shows how essential offense is to winning this trophy.

Predictions

He definitely deserves a shot at the top 10.