5 reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo will beat Lionel Messi to BEST FIFA Award

Later tonight, FIFA will host their second annual BEST FIFA Awards ceremony in London and as ever the battle for Men's Player of the Year will be between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi (sure, Neymar is shortlisted, but for the last ten years has anyone else even mattered on this stage?)... but this year it might just be a foregone conclusion

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Here are the five reasons why Ronaldo will win his second consecutive BEST award ahead of his great rival

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#5. Breaking the La Liga jinx for Real Madrid

Ronaldo and Marcelo share a laugh as Sergio Ramos shows off a replica La Liga trophy

Before their triumph, this season, La Liga's last nine winners were Barcelona, Barcelona, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Barcelona (from 2008-09 onwards).

One league title in nine years was a major blight on Madrid's record books, their position as undoubted kings of Spain very much usurped by Barcelona, having to see the ignominy of neighbors Atletico Madrid lift the trophy before them.... all those perceived wrongs were corrected with superb panache last season - and the man responsible was Cristiano Ronaldo whose goals, coming in big games under the most extreme pressure imaginable, were simply invaluable.

#4 Peaking when it mattered most

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his third goal in that virtuoso semifinal performance against Atletico

In the first nine games of last season, Cristiano Ronaldo netted just one goal... in the matches that followed (and despite starring in the Club World Cup) the great man looked a shadow of his old self... losing control of the ball too often, not finding his feet well enough to dribble even a few metres, shooting haphazardly from all over the place - it would have been easy to write him off, and many did.

But they simply hadn't realised the sheer mental resolve of the man and he peaked when his team needed him most, playing some of the best football of his career and he ended up with 25 La Liga goals in 29 games and 12 Champions League goals in 13 (10 of them coming in the last 5)

#3 Adapting to new role and becoming a team leader

Cristiano Ronaldo played the team-man to perfection

The one accusation that had been leveled at Cristiano Ronaldo as he became the potent goal-scorer that he is today at Madrid was that he was becoming more, and more, selfish by the game.

Which in turn was costing the team precious points, and tying the hands of managers who had to struggle to get the most of what was always a hugely talented squad.

Last season, though, Cristiano Ronaldo emerged a real leader, a proper team player who hugged the touchline when asked to, tracked back doggedly (most noticeably in the first leg of Madrid's entertaining quarter with Bayern), played off Karim Benzema's, Isco's, Toni Kroos', Luka Modric's and Marco Asensio's undoubted ability allowing them to flourish on their own individual levels, listened to Zidane when the great Frenchman told him that rest was the need for the hour - his dedication to the team's cause, something that often used to get blinded due to his hunger for personal glory (and that whole "let's see who scores more goals this season" competition with Leo Messi).. and that is certainly worthy of great admiration.

#2 The sheer weight of trophies

The Club World Cup, the Champions League, La Liga - Ronaldo won them all

The simple fact of the matter is individual performances need to kowtow to the team's... and there is no doubting which was the more successful team last season. After winning their first La Liga in half-a-decade, they broke through to win their second successive Champions League... a rare double that Madrid had not done the act since 1957-58 and seeing Barcelona do it twice this decade must surely not have helped the ego of Madridistas the world over.

Ronaldo's goals were pivotal in the club gaining the Club World Cup (he top-scored, and scored a hattrick in the final) Champions League (golden boot winner again) and La Liga titles. The sheer weight of the trophies accumulated by the Portuguese tilts this in his favour.

#1 The Champions League show

Cristiano Ronaldo ending Gigi Buffon's dream

When Barcelona and Real Madrid entered the quarterfinals of the Champions League, Lionel Messi had 10 goals to Cristiano Ronaldo's 2.

By the end of the campaign, Ronaldo had 12 while Messi still languished on 10. It was the stunning show he put up in the critical matches of the Champions League that defined the whole of last season - five goals against Bayern in the quarterfinals, a hattrick in the first leg against Atletico Madrid, and a brace in the final against a Juventus defence that had not given Leo Messi breathing space over two legs of their quarter.

Has there ever been a better big match player?