Throughout the history of the Ballon d'Or, only five South Americans have managed to win the big award. Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the only two of this quintet to win the award more than once, while Brazilians Rivaldo, Kaka and Ronaldinho each won the award once. Which means that only two South American countries have claimed the Ballon d'Or as their own in the history of the award.

In 2014, a number of South Americans made their marks and it is possible that some of these players could also win the big award in 2015 with big enough performances. Everyone knows that the Copa America will be the premiere soccer tournament of the year and large international appeal could potentially push a player to greater heights in his contention for the big individual honor. But who are those contenders? For obvious reasons, Messi will not be discussed as he is one of the top contenders to win the award year-in and year-out.

James Rodriguez

The Colombian turned every head in the world with his six goals and two assists for Colombia at the World Cup. It was not only his efficiency, but his ability to dazzle on the biggest stage for a country that had long been forgotten as a contender for international dominance.

But Rodriguez did not only conquer the world for one month. He continued his pristine play as a member of Real Madrid. Now only is the Colombian scoring at a better rate than he ever has in his career, but he is also creating a whole lot more for such superstars as Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.

If Rodriguez continues scoring at his current rate and leads Colombia on a championship run this summer in Chile, there is no reason to doubt his chances to compete for the top prize.

Neymar

The Brazilian had a strong 2014 but he proved remarkably inconsistent. Neymar struggled mightily to dominate for Barcelona at the start of the year and never quite recovered his top form until he went to the World Cup in Brazil. He had a solid tournament until injury ended his run. But he picked up where he left off with a strong start for Barcelona. At one point he was running away with the team lead in goals, but has struggled in recent weeks to put the goals in the net.

If he regains his best scoring form and gets Brazil all the way to the championship in the Copa America, there is no reason to doubt Neymar's Ballon d'Or candidacy.

Alexis Sanchez

It has to be a travesty that the Chilean superstar has never gotten any recognition by FIFA, but part of that has to do with his constantly playing in Messi's shadow over the years. Now Sanchez is the main man at Arsenal and he is also a part of a dominant Chile side that should be the favorite to claim the CONMEBOL trophy at home. To put his dominance into perspective, Sanchez has 17 goals and eight assists in the competitive Premier League; Neymar has 17 goals but only three assists for a far more dominant Barcelona side.

Angel Di Maria

This might be a longer shot for a number of reasons. Di Maria was dominant in 2014 as he led Real Madrid to a Champions League victory. Then he proved to be a highly underrated catalyst for Argentina's run to the final before becoming Manchester United's savior. If that was not reason enough to get more love in the Ballon d'Or, then nothing was.

And unfortunately, the superstar is not going to get another Champions League run in 2015. He probably will not win another League title this year. All he has to rely on is a win in the Copa America. But even then he has to overpower Messi and Sergio Aguero. A truly tall task for even this superstar.

Sergio Aguero

Manchester City's centerpiece has struggled with injuries over the years and that alone limited his effectiveness in Brazil. He has a chance to eclipse Messi's feats if he can lead Manchester City past Barcelona in the Champions League. A strong performance in the Copa America will help his resume and more goal scoring at his current rate will certainly help matters. Aguero scored 23 goals in 2011-12 and has 14 at this moment with 16 games left to play. If he can stay healthy and continue scoring at his current pace he can finish the year with 27 goals in the Premier League, his career high.

Luis Suarez

And of course the elephant, who has the smallest shot at a win this year for a few reasons. He is not scoring at his 30-goal pace in Barcelona this year and is living in Messi and Neymar's shadow thus far.

And most damning of all is his inability to play in this year's Copa America due to his FIFA ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini last summer. He will not get a chance to shine in the tournament that he could have easily dominated.