And then there were three.

On Monday, FIFA finally announced the three finalists for the 2014 Ballon d'Or which will be handed out in January. Voting has already closed, so the winner has already been determined.

This year's nominees included two players that were already assumed locks since the calendar changed to 2014. But the third one is the charming choice.

So let us get through the standard nominees. First up is Cristiano Ronaldo, who by many accounts, should win it. And by a lot. Last year, he won narrowly and was favored by a last-minute extension given to voters. This year, there are no extensions and his goal-scoring tirade to start the 2014-15 season cannot be ignored. Prior to voting, he had 25 goals from 18 matches. He also finished the 2013-14 season as a record-breaker for most goals in a Champions League season (17) while leading Real Madrid to the Champions League trophy. He was also the leading scorer in Europe in the 2013-14 season, tied with Luis Suarez.

The only thing that Ronaldo might have to worry about is the World Cup. He was injured during the tournament, only scored one goal, and was not good enough to lift a poor Portuguese side (as he had done against Sweden in the playoffs).

Messi, on the other hand, had a World Cup to remember. He scored four goals in the opening round and then helped Argentina make a run to the final. He was far from his best in the latter stages of the tournament, but his appearance in the final not only ensured his winning the Golden Ball, but also represented a huge boost for Argentina at large.

That was arguably the high point for Messi in 2014. But what about breaking the Spanish League and Champions League scoring records? Unfortunately for Messi, voting ended prior to his breaking those records. Those two hat tricks came on the heels of a poor slump for Messi, in which he looked impotent and often poor for Barcelona. He picked a very bad time to slump, for sure.

Moreover, Messi and Barcelona did not win a single trophy, meaning the superstar did not have any hardware to show aside from the controversial Golden Ball at the tournament that he also failed to win.

Speaking of hardware, Manuel Neuer, the big surprise in this category, has more than any of his competitors. He won the World Cup, the German Cup and the Bundesliga title. Ronaldo had two trophies and Messi had none.

If the Ballon d'Or was a trophy handed to the best team player, Franck Ribery would have run away with it last year.

But the trophy is no such thing.

Neuer is a fantastic goalkeeper and his libero style of play has made him a truly praise-worthy candidate. He is revolutionizing the position and provides his side with the kind of footwork that allows them to press high up the pitch. That was the key to the World Cup success of Germany, as well as Bayern Munich.

He is the interesting wild card here because he represents the first goalkeeper in years to make it to the top three. And that might be an indication of the times. Lev Yashin won the award decades ago. Why can't Neuer do it also?

It all makes for an intriguing narrative that will be revealed in January. Will there be a major twist? Or will the conclusion be the expected one?

Predictions

Ronaldo wins it but Neuer leaps into second ahead of Messi.

Stay Tuned for more Ballon d'Or coverage here at Latin Post!

FOR MORE SPORTS AND SOCCER NEWS, CLICK ON THIS LINK TO VISIT LATIN POST.COM'S SPORTS PAGE