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The UEFA and FIFA Best awards were held recently. Next up is the Ballon d'Or gala which is scheduled to take place in December and football fans can't wait to see who will come out on top in the battle for the best player of the year in 2019.
Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi and Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk continue to split the opinions of spectators with regards who deserves to go home with the accolade this year. Next to them comes Cristiano Ronaldo who is also being tipped to emerge triumphant - albeit not as much as the aforementioned duo.
As it stands, Ronaldo isn't being considered in the same class as Messi and Ronaldo in the running for the Ballon d'Or. Meanwhile, the Portuguese also enjoyed a spectaucular year and deserves a lot of recognition for his incredible exploits. Below, we discuss three reasons why the Juventus maestro is worthy of winning the coveted prize for the sixth time this year:
#3 Brilliant performances
Adapting to a new team in a new league with a different system is something that takes a lot of time for most footballers. But that wasn't the case for Cristiano Ronaldo after he left Real Madrid to try a new challenge with Juventus in the summer of 2018.
The Portuguese wasted no time in making his impact felt immediately after he arrived at Turin. He took the Serie A by storm in his debut season, recording an impressive 21 goals and 8 assists to his name from 31 appearances. He also found the back of the net 6 times and set up a further 2 for the Bianconeri in 9 Champions League games.
Ronaldo finished the term with 28 goals and 10 assists for Juventus in 43 appearances across all competitions to cap off another prolific outing. He was honored with the Serie A Player of the Year award in his debut campaign and was included in both the UEFA and FIFA Best awards final shortlists recently. Given his incredible exploits, he should be in with a shot at the Ballon d'Or award this year.
Also check out: Seria A table Champions League table Premier League Table
#2 Domestic success
Ronaldo proved his mettle in the Champions League once again last season by scoring all of Juve's 5 goals in the knockout phase of the tournament. Although the Bianconeri later succumbed to Ajax, the attacker still ensured he finished the campaign on a high by inspiring his side to success at the domestic stage.
He led Juve to claim the Serie A title for the 8th consecutive year in fantastic fashion as they amassed a whopping 90 points from their 38 games in the division. He also scored the only goal of the game as the league champions edged out AC Milan 1-0 to claim the Italian Super Cup.
It was another successful campaign for Ronaldo who continues to show the world that he still has a lot of fuel left in his tank. Winning two trophies in a season is a great achievement for any player. Considering that it was the attacker's first year in Italy, it's worth even more.
#1 UEFA Nations League triumph
One thing that sets Ronaldo apart from most elite footballers is his ability to replicate his brilliance anywhere he finds himself. The attacker made a huge statement towards his Ballon d'Or chances this year with his exploits with Portugal in the UEFA Nations League.
He added another International success to his already impressive records as he inspired his country to triumph in the inaugural competition. He also finished as the top scorer with a decent 3 goals to his name. His man-of-the-match display against Switzerland ended up as the finest performance of the tournament.
After enjoying a brilliant outing with Juventus at club level and capping it up with success on the international stage, the Portuguese simply deserves to go home with the coveted Ballon d'Or accolade for the sixth time in his career this year.
