Ballon d'Or 2018: 5 players most likely to win

Ronaldo and Messi are once again among the favourites to take home the prestigious award
Ronaldo and Messi are once again among the favourites to take home the prestigious award

#2 Cristiano Ronaldo

Will Ronaldo's recent decline see him miss out on the award?
Will Ronaldo's recent decline see him miss out on the award?

If the awards were handed out 3 months ago, Cristiano Ronaldo would have surely been the winner. His form and particularly goalscoring rate has however dropped drastically during his early time in Italy, and the player is currently dealing with serious allegations against him.

The Portuguese forward did, however, guide Real Madrid to the Champions League title, setting multiple competition records along the way. The forward also scored a famous hat-trick at the World Cup in Russia and based on form over the past five years, he remains the greatest player on the planet.

Cristiano's move to Italy may affect his ability to win the sport's biggest individual prize, because as previously mentioned, the award normally heads to Spain.

With everything considered, CR7 would once again be a worthy winner, however, his slow end to 2018 may see him narrowly miss out to his greatest rival.


#1 Lionel Messi

Messi has regained his best form over the last 3 months
Messi has regained his best form over the last 3 months

After a dismal World Cup for Argentina, Lionel Messi looked to be out of the running for the 2018 Ballon d'Or. Messi, however, returned to Barcelona in phenomenal form, and he has arguably enjoyed his best period since his peak season back in 2012/2013.

The Argentine has scored 12 times in as many games, and his overall offensive play has been a joy to watch. The 31-year-old did suffer a recent injury, ruling him out of El Classico, however, his strong end to 2018 has probably already seen him take home football's top prize.

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Edited by Nishant Jayaram