Not just Messi: The craziest Ballon d'Or votes revealed

Lionel Messi ended up with more than 40 percent of the votes as he took home his fifth Ballon d'Or on Monday, a predictable haul after a two-year break. But among the most shocking votes for the best player of 2015 was Arjen Robben, a player who started a third of the games Messi did throughout the entire calendar year as he struggled with injuries.

Robben earned the nod from Pakistan head coach Mohammed Al Shamlan, who put Karim Benzema in second and Cristiano Ronaldo in third. No, there apparently was no room for Messi, who won five trophies with Barcelona, scored 52 goals and provided a further 26 assists.

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Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar, the three finalists for the Ballon d'Or, collected 76.95 percent of the ballot from national team coaches, captains and journalists, meaning several other factors were at play in the selection process.

Favouritism influenced voters - not least Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar. Messi ranked teammates Luis Suarez, Neymar, and Andres Iniesta first, second, and third, respectively; Neymar returned the favour with votes for Messi, Suarez, and Ivan Rakitic, while Ronaldo gave love to colleagues Benzema, James Rodriguez, and Gareth Bale.

Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger gave his No. 1 selection to goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, while Sweden manager Erik Hamren went with Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Peru talisman Claudio Pizarro, who has spent the majority of his career in Germany, also put Neuer first, and followed him up with Thomas Muller and Toni Kroos.

Less prominent nations also put forward some hipster choices. Vanuatu's captain ranked Paul Pogba ahead of everyone, Myanmar's coach selected Kevin De Bruyne first, and Mauritania's player representative put Javier Mascherano above the competition.

See all of the votes here.