5 reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo will not win the Ballon d'Or award this year

#1 Ronaldo-Messi losing their stranglehold

Real Madrid v Barcelona - La Liga — Ronaldo and his eternal rival are finally losing their duopoly on top of the football world

If we were to discuss the Ballon d'Or race in about 3 years ago, no one would have doubted either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi would eventually step up to pick up the award. However, things have now changed and it is finally happening that the duo are losing their stranglehold on major honors at the moment.

The whole world was taken aback when Lionel Messi was left out of both the UEFA and FIFA Player Of The Year award shortlists recently - but more shock was to come, with Croatian International Luka Modric upsetting the odds and claiming both awards to end a whopping 10 years of Messi-Ronaldo dominance on top of the football world.

With the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, Mohamed Salah, Eden Hazard, Raphael Varane and Kevin De Bruyne also emerging alongside Luka Modric as strong candidates for the Ballon d'Or award this year, it is quite evident that Cristiano Ronaldo could be well beaten to the prestigious accolade this term.

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 Sripad