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#2 The threat of Lionel Messi
At this moment in time, there is no doubt who Cristiano Ronaldo's greatest rival is. After being involved in a war of dominance with the Portuguese for the past 10 years, Barcelona legend, Lionel Messi remains one of the few superstars who can stop the attacker from winning the Ballon d'Or this year.
Messi was by far the best player in La Liga last term, finishing as both the top scorer and the most creative player in the division with 34 goals and 12 assists respectively. He also helped Barcelona to claim both the La Liga title and the Copa Del Rey trophy, concluding a brilliant domestic campaign with the Catalan giants.
In terms of the World Cup, Messi had a decent tournament scoring a high-class goal against Nigeria as Argentina crashed out in the round of 16. Even though Ronaldo had a superior European campaign last season, Messi isn't far from his rival and the Argentine would definitely make this battle an interesting one.
With plenty of weeks still left on the calendar year, there is every possibility that Messi could end up snatching the prestigious prize away from his counterpart.
