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What's the story?
Barcelona captain Lionel Messi appears to be the overwhelming favorite win a record sixth Ballon d'Or over Cristiano Ronaldo, according to betting odds.
In case you didn't know
Messi and Ronaldo have been the unofficial faces of the Ballon d'Or for about a decade, having won five awards each in the course of their careers.
However, this changed when Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric took home football's most coveted prize last year in recognition of his role in Los Blancos' third consecutive Champions League glory and Croatia's journey to the FIFA World Cup final.
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The duo is back in the running for the prestigious award this year, with many stand-out competitors from the Premier League also in the race.
Messi has been in scintillating form this season, recently scoring his 50th goal in all competitions against Eibar. The Barcelona captain guided his team to a consecutive La Liga title and has the chance to win a second trophy when his side faces Valencia in the Copa del Rey final. The Spanish champions, however, failed to get to the Champions League final after a shock defeat to Liverpool in the semi-finals earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo finished his season with a Serie A title and a league Player of the Year award. Like Messi, the Portuguese talisman failed to inspire Juventus in the Champions League, having crashed out of the competition after a quarter-final defeat to Ajax.
The heart of the matter
Messi is currently the bookmakers' favorite to win the 2019 Ballon d'Or, according to Fox Sports Asia. The Barcelona captain is as short as 1/2 to win the award compared to Ronaldo who is marked 20/1 and 17/1 by most betting websites.
The Juventus ace has clearly fallen down in the race for the award, with Liverpool trio Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane, and Mohamed Salah all ahead of him in the odds.
Ronaldo, however, shares fifth place in the race with Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe and Manchester City's Raheem Sterling.
What's next?
While Messi has been at the receiving end of criticism for Barcelona's Champions League disappointment, it remains to be seen how things will pan out in the months to come.
