Can Anyone Challenge Kaka's Ballon d'Or Bid?

It's arguably now the second-highest individual honour for a footballer: some would even say that it's the top. But one thing is certain: there is no end of debate about the Ballon d'Or. Will Kaka lift the trophy this year? Subhankar Mondal investigates...

zoom - galleria It's that time of the year again. The red carpets are unrolled, the expensive suits are dusted off, and the champagne is spilled all over the place. As the year draws down to a close, all those players who have been gracing the footballing stage for the past 12 months would be turning their eyes towards the Ballon d’Or.

Of the 50 long-listed candidates announced by France Football magazine, the most celebrated is Kaka. Perhaps the most outstanding player throughout last season, the Brazilian ace was at the heart of the AC Milan midfield force. Since his induction into Serie A in 2003, Kaka has been steadily rising in stock and, in the last year, has hit new heights.

For example, last season, Kaka top scored in the UEFA Champions League with ten goals that brought back the elite trophy to San Siro. True, Milan last season were not a one-man show, especially towards the tail-end of the season, but there’s no denying the stark, naked truth that Carlo Ancelotti’s constantly ageing side relied heavily on Kaka for midfield creativity and inspiration.

That's a huge accoladet when you consider that Kaka might have easily been paralyzed as aftermath of a swimming pool accident when he was just a youngster, and also suffers from myopia (he wears contact lenses.)

But his vision is clearly perfect on the football pitch, allowing him to thread ripping through balls and pick out his teammates from the most acute of angles. Kaka might lack the Zinedine Zidane-esque ballerina-grace or the intricate sorcery of Ronaldinho, but his effectiveness, dribbling skills and intelligence were illustrated last season in full measure.

And it wasn't just on the big stage, either. His talent was evident when he pulled Milan out of a hole, the Rossoneri hovering dangerously over the relegation zone in the Serie A; what's more, he kindled as well as sustained Milan’s European triumph.

Although Kaka might be most people’s readymade choice for the Ballon D’or this year, he could face a considerably stiff challenge from Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

At 22, Ronaldo is three years younger than Kaka but he lacks no attributes of a truly excellent player. Had he not been off-colour in the two-legged Champions League semi-final tie against Milan, he would perhaps have been the foremost contender for the prize.

Just as Kaka was the best footballer in the Serie A last season, the Portuguese winger was head and shoulders above the rest in the English Premier League. Not only did he provide 20 assists and conjure up a plethora of magical moments, he also scored a scintillating 23 goals in all competitions.

True, Ronaldo wasn’t forced to dig Manchester United out of any pit but he had to play the role of a fallen hero because of a mischievous wink in the World Cup that saw him briefly fall out with Wayne Rooney, not to mention much of the English footballing public. So impressive were his mazy runs and intricate dribbling along the flanks that the late George Best himself anointed the maverick as his most likely successor.

As far as appointing an heir is concerned, there can be no better than the great Diego branding FC Barcelona’s Argentine star Lionel Messi as his genuine successor. Barca’s barren year might have critically decimated Messi’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or but, at just 20 years of age, Messi knows would certainly have several more bites at the cherry.

Messi missed one-third of the campaign last season for Barca with a metatarsal injury ,and played regularly only from the start of 2007, but that didn’t deter him from scoring 14 goals in La Liga, not to mention a certain goal against Getafe in the Copa Del Rey that’s now scripted in footballing folklore.

This season Messi has been the prime reason behind Barca’s resurgence after a tough start, and it’s his consistency over the two-and-a-half years for Barca has led the Camp Nou faithful to believe that Ronaldinho is not irreplacable.

Two other names that ought to make to the short-list are those of Francesco Totti and Cecs Fabregas. Just like Messi, young Cecs is only 20 but following the "if you're good enough, you're old enough" maxim, the Spaniard has progressed to become the conductor of the Arsenal symphony. In Fabregas, Arsenal have a mature and energetic box-to-box midfielder whose class and caliber have forced his side through to the top of Premiership table.

31-year old Totti was the main reason behind AS Roma’s surge to the Champions League quarter-final last season, and his 26 goals in the Serie A drove the Giallorossi to second place in the table. Blessed with quick-silver football intelligence, Totti still is the undisputed master of the 40-yard long ball - even in the presence of David Beckham, who too makes the long-list - as he has demonstrated last season and in the first few months of this campaign.

The final word must be reserved for a relatively unknown player from the heart of a war-ravaged country. This year the Ballon d’Or has evolved from its traditional European Player of the Year limitations to spread its wings over the entire world. This has brought a certain Younis Mahmoud of the Algharafa club in Iraq into the picture. Hardly anyone in the European circuit would recognize Mahmoud but his name among the Ronaldinhos, Kakas and Henrys must surely inspire the Iraqi people. Football, you know, can be a source of motivation worldwide