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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted that the Ballon d'Or rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is almost impossible to imitate. The Spaniard is of the view that it is difficult to replicate what the two have done.
France Football will name the winner of this year's Ballon d'Or in less than a week's time. PSG superstar Messi, Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski and Chelsea midfielder Jorginho are among those in the running.
Five-time winner Ronaldo, though, does not appear to be a strong candidate to bag the Ballon d'Or this time around. The 36-year-old re-joined Manchester United from Juventus in the summer with hopes of adding to his trophy cabinet, but is unlikely to be on the podium next week.
Despite not winning the Ballon d'Or since 2017, Ronaldo has still bagged the award more times than any other player except, none other than, Messi. And Manchester City manager Guardiola is an admirer of the fierce rivalry the Manchester United star has with the Argentine playmaker.
Guardiola has insisted that it is almost impossible to replicate the rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo. The Spaniard is of the view that their Ballon d'Or rivalry is unique and claimed that players will struggle to do what the two have done over the last 15 years or so. He said:
"What these two guys [Messi and Ronaldo] have done will be almost impossible to imitate, maybe we will see it but I don't think it will happen. It’s unique, I think. To find two players like Cristiano and Messi, and for them to do what they have done", Guardiola told a press conference.
While Ronaldo does not seem to be in the running for the Ballon d'Or this year, Messi is a strong candidate and could be in line to bag his seventh.
Will we see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the Ballon d'Or podium together again?
PSG superstar Lionel Messi is expected to be on the Ballon d'Or podium this year, while also being a likely winner. Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo, though, might have to skip the event, with the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Jorginho ahead of him.
This makes one wonder if we will ever the see the two on the Ballon d'Or podium together ever again. Messi is 34-years-old, while Ronaldo is two years older than him and the inevitable - their retirement - looks closer than ever before.
Messi and Ronaldo last shared the podium in 2019, when the former won the Ballon d'Or for the sixth time.
