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The Ballon d'Or is undoubtedly the most coveted individual prize in modern football - a glittering accolade eyed by the best footballers of each generation. Of course, football is a team game where eleven players put aside their vested interests solely for the sake of the side they are representing, but the fight for the Ballon d'Or has always seen a difference in opinion.
The last decade saw the treasured honour only being shared by two of the best footballers of this era - Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi - and this year's Ballon d'Or award boasts the potential to be the tiebreaker which could tip the scales in the favour of the prize-winner.
Lionel Messi, who last won the Ballon d'Or in 2015, was the first footballer in the illustrious history of the sport to bag the award for an astounding 5 times in his footballing career.
And even though he has enjoyed a fairly commendable 2018 thus far, the 31-year-old might not have done enough to secure the prize this year.
On that note, let us take a look at 5 reasons why Lionel Messi will not clinch the Ballon d'Or in 2018.
#5 Is the Ronaldo-Messi duopoly over? Evidently!
The last time a footballer other than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or was way back in 2007 and it was the ever-excellent Brazilian Kaka who heralded the beginning of the two-horse race.
Since then, as mentioned previously, Ronaldo and Messi have dominated the footballing scene for a whole FRIGGING decade as they made the Ballon d'Or award their birthright, sharing a total of 5 each! Such is the undeniable influence of these two highly-fancied personalities.
All the same, 2018, in all likelihood, will prove itself to be a bizarre year in this aspect. Although these two heavyweights are positively in contention for the Ballon d'Or, innumerable new stars have thrust themselves into the reckoning.
One of the most prominent of them is the Liverpool heartthrob - Mohamed Salah, affectionately known as 'The Egyptian King'. Signed from AS Roma for £37.8m in June 2017, Salah has fired on all cylinders in his debut season for Liverpool, notching up an awe-inspiring 44 goals across all competitions as he famously won the Premier League Golden Boot with consummate ease.
Apart from him, some other superstars are also realistically vying for the fancied honour such as...
#4 Kylian Mbappe and Luka Modric
By virtue of their sterling performances in the recently concluded World Cup, Kylian Mbappe and Luka Modric are two other big names warring for the Ballon d'Or this year.
Even before the commencement of the World Cup, Mbappe had demonstrated his true mettle by registering 13 goals and 8 assists for Paris Saint-Germain last season, which are some staggering numbers for a winger. Add that to winning the World Cup with France, scoring in the final, winning Best Young Player and grinding out a headline-generating performance against Lionel Messi's Argentina, and you have a recipe that can land him the Ballon d'Or award.
As for Luka Modric, the Croat would have already etched his name on the 2018 Ballon d'Or (indisputably) had Croatia pulled off a victory against France in the World Cup final. Nevertheless, that didn't happen but by leading his side to an unanticipated runners-up finish, Modric did at least cement his position in the battle for the Ballon d'Or having already got UEFA Champions League under his belt.
#3 The Cristiano Ronaldo threat
Cristiano Ronaldo has been an ever-existing threat for Lionel Messi and the rivalry of these two megastars has most assuredly been one of the most fascinating in the sporting history.
For the Portuguese leading light, the early part of the 2017-18 season was unequivocally substandard as Cristiano Ronaldo struggled to create an impact on the pitch and looked out of his depth on several occasions.
However, the 33-year-old has been simply unstoppable since 2018 ticked over, terrorizing some of the most renowned rearguards effortlessly - and isn't that what primarily matters for the purposes of this award?
In 2018 itself, Cristiano Ronaldo has chalked up 34 goals and 6 assists having featured in 29 matches, easily outperforming his arch-rival - Lionel Messi.
On top of that, Ronaldo has recently completed a sensational move to Juventus which could further his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or as the Serie A is largely a one-horse race where Ronaldo can comfortably rack up many more goals and break a host of records. Alarming for Lionel Messi, isn't it?
#2 No Champions League glory
A great amount of emphasis is placed on Europe's elite competition and the continental tournament holds, perhaps, the biggest weight when it comes to Ballon d'Or votings. Consequently, in the last five years, the winner of the UEFA Champions League has lifted the Ballon d'Or award on four occasions.
And that fact does not bode well for Lionel Messi as his side crashed out of UEFA Champions League after suffering a giant-killing at the hands of AS Roma in the quarter-finals of the tournament last season.
Not to mention Messi himself also failed to live up to his billing in this year's Champions League with a score of 6 goals and 2 assists. Granted that the aforementioned tally does not seem so awful, it pales into insignificance when compared with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah.
#1 Disastrous World Cup campaign
Many believe that the only chink in Lionel Messi's glittering armor is the absence of an international trophy which continues to prey on his mind. And the World Cup 2018 presented him with the golden opportunity to silence the critics in a glorious fashion.
Had Argentina won the all-important competition or finished it in a respectable manner, Messi could have been handed a massive boost in the pursuit of his sixth Ballon d'Or award, but things did not transpire as per his wishes.
Argentina were absolutely terrible at the World Cup as they were ruled out in the Round of 16 itself by the ultimate champions - France in a 4-3 victory. And La Albiceleste's ignominious departure from the tournament, owing to issues which even Messi could not iron out, has stuck a fork in his Ballon d'Or chances ten to one.
