Ballon d'Or: 4 reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo may not win the award again

Cristiano Ronaldo remains one of the greatest players in the history of football. Along with his arch-rival Lionel Messi, Ronaldo has dominated world football for more than a decade.

For over ten years, the Portuguese star has amazed us with his brilliance on the pitch and he still continues to do so with his goalscoring abilities. It is a no brainer that a player like Ronaldo plays the most pivotal role, as evident with Juventus this season.

In his career, he has won 5 Ballon d’Ors and won every coveted trophy during his tenure with Real Madrid and Manchester United. It goes without saying that we can never rule out a player like Ronaldo, who has continuously proved his critics wrong throughout his career. Ronaldo can again prove his naysayers wrong to win his 6th Ballon d'Or.

But let us take a look at four reasons why the Portuguese star may not win the Ballon d'Or ever again:

#4 Trophies with Juventus

Juventus v Ajax - UEFA Champions League Quarter Final: Second Leg.

This may seem like a poor judgment considering Juventus still holds a 17 point lead at the top of the Serie A table. It will take a miracle to stop the Bianconeri from winning the Serie A and even that may not be enough. But is that enough for Ronaldo to win a Ballon d'Or?

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Before Ronaldo arrived at Juventus, the Old Lady won seven consecutive Serie A titles from 2011/12. It is obvious that Ronaldo was brought in to boost their chances in the Champions League- the 'challenge' Ronaldo spoke of was never dominating the Italian top flight but fulfilling the Bianconeri's dream to conquer Europe.

The Bianconeri probably had the best chance to win the Champions League this year and they were rightly touted as favorites early in the competition. Heavyweights like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, PSG were all knocked out in Round of 16 stages but the Bianconeri failed to capitalize on their chance.

Now, Juventus' rearguard will need some changes as Chiellini and Bonucci are in their 30s and Barzagli will hang up his boots at the end of the season. In the midfield, Pjanic is not enough to dominate in the Champions League whereas Dybala finds himself out of order in the attack.

Even Ronaldo will turn 35 next season, which brings us to our next point.

#3 Age catch-up

"Time and tide wait for none"

Ronaldo is not getting any younger. Although he is still an athlete of the highest order, his impact is bound to diminish with old age. The Portuguese talisman will turn 35 next February and like all mortals, Ronaldo is bound to get slower, weaker and will need more rest.

The fact remains that time is bound to catch up no matter how good a player is. Ronaldo is one of the best footballers in the modern era but as evident, he is not the player he was in his Manchester United or early Real Madrid days.

But the 34-year-old is intelligent enough to evolve into a poacher's role as we have witnessed over the years but even those abilities will surely be not what it once was with time.

There is no doubt that Ronaldo will bring out the best in him every time at the biggest stages but it remains to be seen whether Juventus can provide the support to an aging Ronaldo, in his quest to stay at the very top.

#2 More Competitors

Paris Saint-Germain v Manchester United - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: Second Leg.

Even as Paris Saint-Germain endured another premature exit from the Champions League, Kylian Mbappe stands tall. The 20-year-old continues his meteoric rise to the top of world football, leading PSG to another domestic double.

Although Ligue 1 giants faltered yet again in their main objective, the French World Cup winner scored 4 goals and provided 5 assists in the Champions League. Mbappe has racked up 33 goals and 17 assists in all competitions and his statistics is only behind Lionel Messi.

Virgil Van Dijk is also enjoying a brilliant season with Liverpool, who are on course for winning the Champions League and Premier League titles. And we all know that winning the Champions League goes a long way to win the Ballon d'Or.

The likes of Neymar and Eden Hazard can never be ignored. Although Neymar suffered another major injury which kept him out for a few months, the Brazilian remains a top contender for the future. Hazard is also linked with Real Madrid and considering his exploits this season with Chelsea, it is not entirely unlikely that he becomes a top contender in the near future.

#1 Unstoppable Lionel Messi

FC Barcelona v Manchester United - UEFA Champions League Quarter Final: Second Leg.

Ronaldo's arch-rival has always been Lionel Messi, who is enjoying another historic season. The 31-year-old has racked up a staggering 45 goals and 21 assists in all competition and remains in a league of his own. Messi also leads the race for European Golden Shoe with 33 league goals and is still proving he is football's finest almost every week.

Thanks to his exploits, Barcelona are well on course for another treble. But Messi's consistency sets him apart, which is why except Kylian Mbappe, no other player seems to have the chance to match the Blaugrana captain. Ronaldo has scored 25 goals in all competitions- 19 of them in the Serie A and is way behind on every aspect.

What's more amazing is that the Argentine genius is not slowing down. He remains one of the most used players in the Barcelona team and continues to have a mammoth impact with his team.

On the other hand, Ronaldo will get fewer chances considering he is in a defensive league with a defensive team. It still might be an early call but if Messi keeps his extraterrestrial brilliance, Ronaldo won't win the award again.