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What's the story?
Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo is keen on winning a record sixth Ballon d'Or as he believes he has enjoyed one of his best seasons with club and country.
In case you didn't know...
Ronaldo shares the record for the most Ballon d'Or wins with Lionel Messi, both winning the award five times each. The duo's monopoly over the coveted prize was finally broken last year when Real Madrid's Luka Modric took home the award.
After ending his nine-year association with Real Madrid to join Juventus last summer, Ronaldo attracted attention from all sections who were curious to see how he would fare in the Serie A.
The 34-year-old finished his season as the Serie A Player of the Year after helping the Old Lady to their eighth consecutive league title and the Supercoppa Italiana. He tallied 21 goals and 8 assists in the Italian top flight, which many would consider to be a decent number for a debutant.
The Portugal international was a pivotal figure in the Champions League as well and played a crucial role in their journey to the quarter-final stage of the competition. After having suffered a two-goal loss to Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16, the forward came back in the closing leg with a vengeance and netted a memorable hat-trick to fire his side to the next stage.
Internationally, Ronaldo led Portugal to the inaugural UEFA Nations League title with a win over the Netherlands. While his club exploits were not believed to be enough for him to win the Ballon d'Or at the end of the year, his victory with Portugal will surely put him back in the reckoning.
The heart of the matter
Ronaldo was presented with the MARCA Legend award on Monday in a ceremony that was attended by several personalities from the football world. The former Real Madrid forward also took part in a Q&A session with children after being presented with the award.
When asked about his Ballon d'Or chances this year, Ronaldo replied (via AS English):
"I hope I can win it. The main thing is that my career has continued to go well after Madrid. It isn't easy leaving Madrid as I did - after nine years, at the age of 33... and it [2018-19] was a really good year for me because I won Serie A, the [Super] Coppa Italiana, and the Nations League with Portugal. It's one of the best seasons I've had, both individually and collectively."
What's next?
Juventus are currently warming up for the new campaign with a series of pre-season games. They are next scheduled to face Atletico Madrid in the International Champions Cup on Saturday.
