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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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15. Arturo Vidal

MUNICH, GERMANY – OCTOBER 22: Arturo Vidal of Muenchen reacts during the Bundesliga match between Bayern Muenchen and Borussia Moenchengladbach at Allianz Arena on October 22, 2016 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)
MUNICH, GERMANY – OCTOBER 22: Arturo Vidal of Muenchen reacts during the Bundesliga match between Bayern Muenchen and Borussia Moenchengladbach at Allianz Arena on October 22, 2016 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images) /

Arturo Vidal is the definition of a winning player. A do-it-all player in the heart of the midfield, few have gotten to hoist more silverware in recent seasons than Vidal.

After racking up Serie A title at Juventus, Vidal took his talents to the Bundesliga to join a Bayern squad that seemed like a perfect fit. It worked out that way. Playing in an XI that occasionally contained up to eight midfielders, Vidal slid right into the Bayern team and flourished under Pep Guardiola.

Internationally, Vidal again teamed up with Alexis Sanchez, Gary Medel and Claudio Bravo to continue to lift Chile to new heights. For the second straight summer, Chile breezed through Copa America before matching up with Argentina in the final. And once again, the Chileans triumphed in penalties following a 0-0 score, this time doing so without the advantage of being on home soil.

In a current environment where great holding midfielders are celebrated and high-scoring wingers and No. 9s are thriving, classic box-to-box players like Vidal can often slip through the cracks when it comes to individual recognition. His Ballon d’Or nomination ensures that won’t happen this year.

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