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#2 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi may have had a brilliant season on an individual level but he failed to guide his team to UEFA Champions League glory or La Liga honours, and given the fact that despite the importance given to an individual award like Ballon d’Or in today’s world, football remains a team sport and hence, the Argentine is not the favourite to create history by winning the award for a 6th time.
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The 30-year-old notched up insane numbers, scoring 54 goals, while assisting another 19 across all competitions last season. But even the best player is only as good as his team, and while Messi reaped the benefits of this in early stages of his career, he has been at a disadvantage because of it in recent times – two sides of the coin, eh?
The 30-year-old will once again be gearing up to help his team challenge for top honours and with the season kicking off in a few days time, he will be raring to go. For now, he is currently 2nd on our list to win the Ballon d’Or.
