Manuel Neuer finishes second in European Sportsmen of the Year voting

Did you know there was a European Sportsman of the Year award? I confess I didn't but in this year's selection, Bayern Munich -- and in this case Germany's -- Manuel Neuer finished second in the voting, finishing runner up to Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton by a single vote. World Cup's mean a lot it seems, in case you ever had any doubt.

Finishing runner up to a Formula 1 champion is no small feat, though the main takeaway for us as soccer fans is that Manuel Neuer beat out Cristiano Ronaldo who finished the award voting in fourth place. While the award may not mean much to us as fans -- given our predilection towards soccer over other sports -- the voting trends among many of Europe's media agencies has shown that Manuel Neuer may have one of the best chances we've seen in recent memory at winning some of the most coveted awards in world soccer -- the Ballon d'Or and UEFA Player of the Year.

It's yet another feather (okay, it's a partial feather) in the cap of Manuel Neuer and one step closer to the ultimate prize.