4 things that could prevent Cristiano Ronaldo from winning the Ballon d'Or this year

#1 Intense competition from elsewhere

France v Croatia - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Final — Griezmann and Mbappe are also strong contenders for the award following their World Cup triumph

The race for the Ballon d'Or award has never been this open. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo who have shared the last 10 editions are arguably towards the back end of their career.

Recent developments suggest that they could lose their stranglehold on the amazing prize this year. In fact, the race is very tight at the moment, with several superstars threatening their dominance with incredible performances all year round.

Liverpool winger, Mohamed Salah took his game to a different level last term, bagging an incredible 43 goals and 16 assists for The Reds in all competitions as well as leading his country Egypt to the World cup for the first time in 28 years.

The World Cup has also thrown in its own share of contenders, with a lot of amazing performers emerging from the tournament that also had great club seasons. The likes of Luka Modric, Kylian Mbappe, Raphael Varane, Harry Kane and Antoine Griezmann were all brilliant at the Mundial after coming off wonderful seasons for their respective clubs. These players have a great opportunity to stop Ronaldo from defending his title.

About the author

Jidonu is a European and international football news writer at Sportskeeda. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and has around 7 years of previous experience working with the likes of Tribuna and SportRaba, Jidonu has a good eye for detail and has the ability to created cohesive articles, and reporting exploits have also led him to exclusively cover the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the past.

Jidonu’s tryst with football started after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany, being mesmerized by Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Barcelona philosophy and approach towards the game under Pep Guardiola further fueled the burgeoning love for the sport, and he has been a Culer ever since.

Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi is his favorite player and is the one true GOAT for him over Cristiano Ronaldo. The 2022 FIFA World Cup final, where Messi's brace led to La Albiceleste lifting the cup left a lasting impact on him. His love for Messi also sees him follow Major League Soccer apart from Europe’s top five leagues.

In his free time, Jidonu raps and produces music, and also enjoys reading and swimming.

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Edited by Debjyoti Samanta