Ballon d'Or insider: Guam head coach Gary White explains why he voted for Manuel Neuer over Cristiano Ronaldo

Guam boss Gary White reveals and explains his surprise picks for the Ballon d’Or awards.

Not many Englishmen get the chance to submit their vote for the Ballon d’Or but Gary White is one of them. In fact, it’s a perennial privilege for the highly-rated Guam head coach and technical director who has guided the country to their highest ever FIFA ranking after having achieved the same feat with the British Virgin Islands and the Bahamas too.

Having recently led Guam to their best ever result in the East Asian Football Championship in November, he’s now being linked with jobs in Asia and beyond. For now, White is busy planning the forthcoming World Cup campaign but Sky Sports caught up with the 40-year-old to discuss the voting process, his choices and give us an explanation for some of his high-profile omissions…

How does the Ballon d’Or nomination process work?

The first stage is that the front office will receive a nomination form from FIFA. It’ll have a list of players that have been selected by the technical committee and then it will also have a list of coaches. That will come to me and also to the national team captain.

Then it’s a question of deciding who you feel warrants points. The top player will get five points, the second choice will get three points and your third player will get one point. So it’s up to you how you divide those points.

This is maybe the eighth time that I’ve had the honour of voting and I look forward to it. I used to prefer it when FIFA allowed you to pick your own players prior to giving you a list that you had to choose from because you might not agree. There might be a player who you’ve seen different qualities from that warranted being included.

Sometimes my votes are not the mainstream votes either. I remember one year the News of the World said that I should get out more often when I gave Brad Friedel my third vote! I was working in CONCACAF at the time, he was goalkeeper of the year in the Premier League and he’d had a fantastic World Cup.

It frustrates me when it’s the same fashionable names. I can understand it when they deserve it but I think sometimes these top players just get thrown in there for their branding. I go for the players who deserve it at the time not those that have had the best marketing campaign.

PLAYERS

Manuel Neuer

He was my first choice because without a player like this you can’t have any success at the top level. I’m sure this choice will raise some eyebrows but I think he has been outstanding for some time. He’s the modern-day goalkeeper and is what everybody now aspires for a goalkeeper to be.

A lot of Bayern Munich and Germany’s success is because of the faith they have in him. Obviously they are a very technical and tactically talented team but when you’ve got a goalkeeper like him behind you it gives you extra belief and confidence to go about your jobs as individuals and as a team.

I think goalkeepers get overlooked sometimes but they are one of the most impactful players on the field when it comes to determining any result – a good goalkeeper is worth their weight in gold.

Arjen Robben

He’s a fantastic player who had a great club season and then a good World Cup too. He has mastered his strengths. For example, no matter how many scouting reports on him will warn opponents that he likes to come inside off the channel to create a strike on goal, the opposition time and time again aren’t able to stop him.

These are top-class defenders going against him and the fact that he’s still able to do what he does, no matter how obvious it is, tells you everything about the quality of the player. He’s a world class player who lifts bums off seats when he receives the ball.

If you watch him train, and I’ve done a bit of study and research on him, it's not surprising that he is so confident and dynamic during games. When preparing for the ball he is constantly active, always playing in the future and scanning the field for attacking options and the ‘what ifs’. If the ball drops he always seems to be the first one there and it’s not by luck, it’s by design. He’s so much fun to watch.

Philipp Lahm

This is another guy who goes under the radar but he’s someone who has adapted to the modern game and can play in a number of positions. We saw that in the World Cup. He’s a real leader but he does it by example. He actually has quite a low profile for a top player but he had a great year.

He’s open minded and he wants to get better. He wants to be challenged and isn’t someone who thinks he has all the answers. He seems to be a very smart individual. As a coach, having someone like him listening to you and willing to change to improve is what coaching is all about.

Why no Messi or Ronaldo?

They are quality players, obviously. But if you look at the selections I have gone for you can say that without players like these, the likes of Messi and Ronaldo cannot do the things they do. They were close to getting my votes but I’ve gone for the players who were the core and the foundation to what their teams were trying to do. From my perspective, these three picks have shown that.

I think you have to put the emphasis on the World Cup too. It’s the pinnacle of a player’s career. Obviously the Champions League is important too, but these three have been consistent throughout the whole campaign, whether it’s for club or country, and they’ve had success.

COACHES

Joachim Low

He won the World Cup so I think that says everything. I also think he did it in style and that he showed the coaching world what’s possible. He also deserves some credit for the development programme that Germany have put in place over the last 10 years.

Jose Mourinho

He’s an impact guy. He’s someone who is always getting results and is someone who I admire greatly. A lot of coaches look at him as someone to emulate. I like that he’s come from a non-coaching background to become one of the best coaches ever so he’s definitely an inspiration.

Manuel Pellegrini

I think he’s done a fantastic job coming into a very difficult situation. There’s a lot to learn from him. I like the way he came up through the youth programmes and has a long history of success. He’s a student of the game and he’s come right through the levels.