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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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30. Hugo Lloris

BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 22: Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur at Vitality Stadium on October 22, 2016 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 22: Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur at Vitality Stadium on October 22, 2016 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images) /

Four keepers earned nominations for the 2016 Ballon d’Or and one of those is Tottenham Hotspur’s Hugo Lloris.

The Frenchman not only helped Spurs to the best defensive record in the EPL, but in leading them to a third-place league finish, he also put the club back into the Champions League for the first time since the 2010-2011 season.

Despite the ultimate summer disappointment of coming up short on home soil in the Euro 2016 final, Lloris has been among the world’s best keepers for some time and this nomination only adds to that narrative.

For years, it looked as though Spurs would sell Lloris to a larger club as they did with previous stars Luka Modric and Gareth Bale. However, behind a back four of Kyle Walker, Danny Rose, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, Lloris’ future with Spurs is as stable as ever. Not many clubs in Europe could offer a better defense to play in back of.

A year after conceding just 35 goals in the EPL, Lloris and Spurs look to be back at it again, as the team has allowed just four goals through the first nine league games to claim a spot just one point off the leaders heading into Match Day 10.

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