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It's October and we're now talking business in the football world. The league tables are taking shape and before we hit the winter, we still have a lot of questions that need answers. The FIFA Best Men's Player Award has already gone to Lionel Messi.
That being said, there's no guarantee that we will see a repeat of that at the Ballon d'Or ceremony, come December. There are several stalwarts in the race for the most prestigious individual honour in football.
Will we see yet another podium finish for Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, though honestly at this point, it's difficult for football fans to not picture a Ballon d'Or podium with either of them on it. Can either of them win a 6th Ballon d'Or or will they be pipped to it? There's just no telling.
Anyhow, without further ado, let's take a look at the Ballon d'Or Power Rankings for the month of October.
#10 Eden Hazard
If anything, this should act as a warning sign to Manchester United's Paul Pogba. Current Real Madrid attacker and former Chelsea talisman Eden Hazard is having a torrid time at the Spanish capital after making an expensive switch in the summer.
The Belgian is yet to score or assist for Los Blancos and despite tearing apart Premier League defences with skills unmatched, he is struggling to replicate the same in La Liga. Being seen as a direct successor to Cristiano Ronaldo, Hazard has done himself no favours by not directly contributing to a single goal and stumbles down a spot on our ranking.
To be fair, Real Madrid have not been at their best despite holding a slender lead over a crowded crew of teams playing catching up in La Liga.
Also check out: La Liga Table Premier League Table Champions League Schedule
#9 Alisson Becker
Alisson Becker could have even made it to the podium this time around. However, he continues to remain sidelined after picking up an injury in Liverpool's season opener against Norwich City.
The Brazilian goalkeeper is one of the most important cogs of Jurgen Klopp's intricate system and has been the poster child of the 'Make Anfield a Fortress Again' again movement after the club struggled to keep the goals out owing to abject defenders and unreliable goalkeepers.
Alisson would have made a great case for the Ballon d'Or as he has won the UEFA Champions League and the Copa America this year. He has been stoic between the sticks and with Virgil Van Dijk guarding the gates in front of him, Becker's last line of defence often proves to be too much to work through for attackers.
#8 Neymar
You just can't keep this guy out of the news. Whether it be sulking to get a return to Barcelona sanctioned or scoring absolute worldies in front of a Paris Saint-Germain fanbase who are predisposed to booing him, Neymar Jr. is a headline maker and will continue to be so as he kicks on to enchant us with the magic at his feet.
Following his return to the PSG first team - he was cast out for being a pain in the neck during the summer - Neymar began in style, scoring the Ligue 1 champions' winning goal against Strasbourg. He repeated that feat in the subsequent game against Olympique Lyon.
Neymar was unstoppable in PSG's match against Bordeaux where he once again scored the lone goal and secured yet another 3 points for his side.
#7 Bernardo Silva
It's safe to say that it's quite difficult for anyone to stand out in Pep Guardiola's star-studded Manchester City side. With big names like David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling among others that create headlines week in and week out, Bernardo Silva could have just ended up as a bit-part player.
However, Bernardo is so much more and he proves that with his footballing intelligence which was on show against Watford last month. He scored a stellar hattrick to secure the biggest victory in the Premier League so far this season as the Cityzens scored 8 goals against the Hornets.
Being touted as the natural heir to David Silva, the Portuguese is arguably one of the best midfielders on the planet right now and could prove to be an invaluable asset in the years to come.
#6 Kevin De Bruyne
Well, the magic is back, normal services have been restored and Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne is looking up and picking out his forwards with the accuracy of an Olympic archer. The Manchester City midfielder had been on fire this past month and he absolutely decimated any team that came his way.
After starting the month off in the worst possible manner, losing to the recently promoted Norwich City, Kevin De Bruyne decided to take on the responsibility himself and make sure City never get outscored. He has subsequently laid out 4 assists and scored 1 goal in the next 3 games, with 2 of those assists and the goal coming in City's thumping of Watford.
De Bruyne is arguably the best central midfielder in the world right now and though they find themselves trailing Liverpool in the Premier League by a fair margin already, nobody will be daring enough to write Manchester City off when they have players of KDB's calibre on their roster.
#5 Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane
Neither Mohamed Salah nor Sadio Mane had a great September by their own lofty standards. Sadio Mane wasn't exactly pleased with Salah after the latter refused to square an easy pass that would have resulted in a certain goal for the Reds in their win against Burnley.
However, they have put that behind them and continue to be one of the best striking duos on the planet, ably supported by the inimitable Roberto Firmino. Mo Salah registered only a single goal in the month of September and mustered an assist in their 2-1 victory over Chelsea.
As for Mane, he was the Man of the Match against Newcastle United after scoring a brace for the Reds. However, he has dropped off since then and will be hoping to make a strong case for himself over the coming months as he continues to be an absolute menace down the left wing.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is once again making goalscoring look easy and fun. One of the greatest to have ever played the game, Ronaldo might not be as good as he once was (the man is 34 years old after all), but having made goalscoring a habit he can't seem to break, he continues to lead the line gloriously for Juventus.
Ronaldo has now scored in 3 consecutive games for the Old Lady. He scored against Verona and then put in an absolute shift in the subsequent game against SPAL. He rounded off an impressive string of performances by starring and scoring a goal in Juve's Champions League tie against Bayer Leverkusen.
Though he is at the 4th spot on our list, there's every chance that the Portuguese legend could make it to the podium or even walk away with yet another Ballon d'Or after having won the Serie A last season with Juventus and the first edition of the UEFA Nations League with Portugal.
#3 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi returned to action for Barcelona in September after being sidelined for the start of the season with a knee injury. Though he has only registered one assist since returning to action against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League halfway through the month of September, La Pulga's sheer numbers before the injury are out of this world.
That's exactly why he won the FIFA Best Men's Player Award this month and it is also the reason why we wouldn't be shocked or surprised if he ends up walking away with yet another Ballon d'Or, in the process taking the lead in the much-talked-about rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo.
His tally of 36 goals from 34 games in addition to 13 assists in Barcelona's dominant display from the 2018/19 season is something that most footballers, and I mean the cream of the crop, would fail to achieve even once in their entire career.
#2 Virgil Van Dijk
Some feel that Virgil Van Dijk was robbed of the FIFA Best Men's Player Award this year. After all, it has been ages since a defender created buzz like he has over the last couple of years. Having won the UEFA Champions League and ended as runners-up at the inaugural UEFA Nations League, Van Dijk is a top contender for the highly coveted Ballon d'Or.
It was Van Dijk's introduction to the fray that transformed Jurgen Klopp's hit or miss side into an absolute juggernaut that's just as efficient at scoring goals as they are at keeping them out. Van Dijk has become a human roadblock since securing a move to Liverpool and is already being compared to some of the Premier League greats.
It will be quite a departure from the recent trend should Van Dijk go on to win the Ballon d'Or although it would be difficult to disagree with that decision.
#1 Raheem Sterling
They keep writing him off and slating him. Raheem Sterling just keeps being awesome at football and winding them up. The Englishman has been firing on all cylinders ever since last season and continues to keep his numbers and chances of winning the Ballon d'Or up.
He has 3 goals and 2 assists in the month of September and has been in staggering form. Every Fantasy Premier League player's dream signing, Sterling has been sensational and has delivered almost every time he has been called upon by Pep Guardiola.
It is high time we accepted Sterling as one of the best in the business. He made it to the semi-finals of the World Cup with England last year and won the domestic treble with Manchester City by lifting the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup.
Ultimately, Sterling could just walk away with the 2019 Ballon d'Or and it would be completely fair.
