While most see it as a done deal that Cristiano Ronaldo will hoist his second straight Ballon d'Or and his third overall, there are some that view Manuel Neuer as the true contender to run away with the individual honor.
Goaltending and the Ballon d'Or was analyzed in depth in a previous post, but one perspective is that Neuer's involvement in the World Cup winning side should have a huge bearing on the outcome for the personal award. In fact, many have been vocal about it.
