Cristiano Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or victory may not have come as much of a surprise but there were plenty of other shocks at the Ballon d'Or gala in Zurich – not least the inclusion in the World XI of former Chelsea defender David Luiz, who captained Brazil to their 7-1 humiliation against Germany in the World Cup.
The former Fulham and Liverpool boss, often criticised for his tactics, chose to overlook the merits of Ronaldo and his main rival and instead selected Barcelona and Argentina utility player Javier Mascherano as the best player in the world.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
His second choice confirmed his commitment to versatility in defence as he picked German Philipp Lahm, who can play in midfield or at right back. His third and final choice was another German, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer – who is known for his willingness to leave the box and play as a kind of sweeper.
While Hodgson's choices prompted widespread ridicule in some circles there was a grudging respect from some quarters:
Love Roy Hodgson going for a clean sheet with his Ballon D'or picks. 1)Mascherano 2)Lahm 3)Neuer.— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) January 12, 2015
I do understand people laughing at Roy Hodgson, but people are quick to forget what a good World Cup Javier Mascherano had #hodgsonstopthree— Alex (@AlexNFFC) January 13, 2015
However, Hodgson's choices were not representative of the rest of the football world. While Neuer made the final shortlist, along with Ronaldo and Messi, only 60 out of almost 550 players coaches and media representatives picked Lahm in their top three.
Hodgson was in even more exclusive company in his choice of Mascherano. He garnered a total of 11 votes in total. His national coach and captain both voted for him, as did Brazil captain Neymar. But his other votes came from footballing backwaters including Mali, Thailand, Madagascar, Burma and Sudan. the only person to agree with Hodgson that Mascherano is the best player in the world was Belarus coach Andrei Zygmantovitch.
His idiosyncratic selection also prompted the Twitter hashtag #hodgsonstopthree. With users posting random lists with Mascherano inexplicably at number one.
Top 3 BLT sandwich fillings:3. Bacon2. Lettuce1. Javier Mascherano#hodgsonstopthree— Chris Donnelly (@maradonnelly10) January 13, 2015
#hodgsonstopthree omelette making tips:1: Break eggs into bowl2: Mix eggs (but don't beat)3: Javier Mascherano— Jim Smallman (@jimsmallman) January 13, 2015
-
Why the world is going mad about Taylor Swift's weddingThe pop star unveiled diamond ring in cosy snaps with fiancé Travis Kelce earlier this week
-
Hostage: Netflix's 'fun, fast and brash potboiler'The Week Recommends Suranne Jones is 'relentlessly defiant' as prime minister Abigail Dalton
-
France political crisis: what does Bayrou's gamble mean for Macron?Today's Big Question The French president could see his authority damaged beyond repair should another of his governments fail
-
Karim Benzema’s ‘goal’: Ballon d’Or, Champions League and a World Cup in one year?In the Spotlight Real Madrid and France striker was named the world’s best male footballer in Paris
-
Sport on Twitter in 2019: top tweets, trends, hashtags, people and eventsThe Week Recommends Cristiano Ronaldo reigns as the most-followed sports star on Twitter
-
Today’s back pages: Lionel Messi makes Ballon d’Or history and Mauricio Pochettino is open to offersSpeed Read A round up of the sport headlines from UK newspapers on 3 December
-
Sport shorts: Lionel Messi ‘already told’ he has won the 2019 Ballon d’OrSpeed Read Ten things from the world of sport on Tuesday 26 November
-
Sport shorts: Virgil van Dijk is the bookies’ favourite for the Ballon d’Or and Lewis Hamilton expects tough F1 Mexican GPSpeed Read Ten things from the world of sport on Tuesday 22 October
-
Ballon d’Or sexism row: Twitter reacts to Ada Hegerberg being asked to ‘twerk’Speed Read Lyon and Norway star won the inaugural Women’s Ballon d’Or award
-
2018 Ballon d’Or: Luka Modric wins to end near-perfect yearSpeed Read ‘Twerk’ comment overshadows crowning of Ada Hegerberg as the inaugural Women’s Ballon d’Or winner
-
Ballon d’Or 2018: the 30-player shortlist, betting odds, start timeThe Week Recommends Can Luka Modric end the Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi domination?
