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Ranking the 30 Ballon d’Or nominees

By Carter Mulvihill

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 11: FIFA Ballon dOr 2015 nominees Lionel Messi of Argentina and FC Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Real Madrid answer media questions during the FIFA Ballon dOr 2015 press conference prior to the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2015 at the Kongresshaus on January 11, 2016 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Stuart Franklin - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 11: FIFA Ballon dOr 2015 nominees Lionel Messi of Argentina and FC Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Real Madrid answer media questions during the FIFA Ballon dOr 2015 press conference prior to the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2015 at the Kongresshaus on January 11, 2016 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Stuart Franklin - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) /
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16. Pepe

MADRID – SEPTEMBER 10: Pepe of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring during the La Liga match between Real Madrid and Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on 10 September 2016 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Power Sport Images/Getty Images)
MADRID – SEPTEMBER 10: Pepe of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring during the La Liga match between Real Madrid and Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on 10 September 2016 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Power Sport Images/Getty Images) /

While Ronaldo will be remembered as the big winner of 2016 after triumphs in both the Euros and Champions League, that same claim can be made by Pepe.

While the 2015-16 season wasn’t his most productive, Pepe and the Real Madrid defense had a brilliant run of performances on their way to the club’s 11th Champions League crown. Despite Las Blancas boasting a front line attack that was among the best and most expensive in the world, it was the defense that carried Real to glory.

But Pepe’s best argument for earning a spot among the Ballon d’Or nominations lies in his Euro 2016 performance. As the most experienced defender on a Portugal squad that chose the grind-it-out method to advance through the knockout rounds, Pepe essentially became Portugal’s most integral player along the way.

It all culminated with a Man of the Match performance in the Euro 2016 final as he led a clean sheet win over France to give Portugal its first ever major international trophy.

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