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The Ballon d’Or remains the most coveted individual award in world football. It is the highest recognition for footballers across the globe - an award given to the best footballer of the year by France football. The award saw unprecedented domination from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo until Luka Modric broke their duopoly by winning it last year.
After winning the Ballon d'Or five times each, both Messi and Ronaldo bowed down to the excellent Modric, who won the Champions League with Real Madrid and took Croatia to the World Cup final. Modric won the Golden Ball in the World Cup and was awarded the best FIFA men's player, which depicts his dominance last year.
However, it looks like we are coming back to familiar territory this year but with the presence of a few new faces. Modric's Real Madrid is already out from the Champions League and Copa Del Rey, with the Croatian enduring a tough season. Meanwhile, both Ronaldo and Messi continues to wreak havoc, despite being in their 30s.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the four resounding favourites to lift the Ballon d'Or at the end of the year.
#1 Lionel Messi
Since the start of the 2018/19 campaign, the Argentine genius has proved himself to be superior to any of his competitors. As his staggering statistics depict, the Barcelona talisman is head and shoulders above anyone else as he guides the Blaugrana in their quest for another treble.
The 31-year-old Argentine genius is the highest scorer in Europe with a massive 41 goals in all competitions already. Messi also leads the race for European Golden Boot, having scored more than anyone else in Europe's top five leagues.
He is the highest scorer in La Liga with 31 goals and the joint-highest scorer in the Champions League with 8 goals. But what is truly amazing is the fact that Messi is leading in the assist charts as well, with 14 of those coming in LaLiga.
Simply put, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is well on his quest for another one and no one has shown the consistency to match him so far.
#2 Virgil Van Djik
Probably, the most unfamiliar name in the list is Liverpool centre-back Virgil Van Dijk. The Dutch defender is enjoying a sensational season with the Reds and has been a revelation for them since joining Jurgen Klopp's in January 2018.
Defenders very rarely grab the headlines or win an individual award but Van Dijk has proven his calibre against the toughest of opponents time and again. As a result, Liverpool are top of the Premier League table with 79 points, two points above their closest competitor Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
Klopp's men have reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League after progressing from a tough group and defeating Bayern Munich in the Round of 16 tie. But that would not have been possible without Van Djik. Liverpool have conceded the least number of goals in the Premier League - just 19 in their 32 Premier League matches.
Liverpool paid a club-record fee to get their man last year but his £75m transfer fee looks like a bargain due to the impact of Van Dijk on the pitch. It remains to be seen whether Liverpool win any major silverware at the end of the season or not but Van Dijk remains the closest competitor to Messi due to his world-class and consistent performances.
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo
Since his arrival in Serie A last summer, Ronaldo has taken Italy by storm. But moving on to a more defensive league also hampered his goalscoring numbers as compared to his arch-rival Messi.
Despite his reduced chances, Ronaldo is enjoying a historic debut season in Italy. With 19 goals and 8 assists in the league, the Juventus star is one of the top scorers and top assist providers in the Serie A so far. As a result, the Old Lady have lost only one game in the Serie A so far and remain 15 points above second-placed Napoli.
Ronaldo endured a tough start in the UEFA Champions League campaign this time around but showed his class against Atletico Madrid, when he netted a hat-trick in the second leg to singlehandedly take Bianconeri into the quarter-finals.
With the league all but wrapped up, Ronaldo knows the importance of winning the Champions League with the Bianconeri. It would come as a surprise to see the five-time Ballon d'Or winner third in the list but as evident, the Portuguese talisman steps up every year towards the end of the season and will focus on doing so once again.
#4 Kylian Mbappe
The 20-year-old is probably the closest competitor to Messi in terms of statistics this season. Mbappe is second in the race for the European Golden Shoe with 26 goals in 23 Ligue 1 appearances and has proven vital for Paris Saint-Germain in the domestic league and cups.
Mbappe has also racked up 15 assists in all competitions this season and as a result of his exploits, PSG's dominance in France is unprecedented. The Ligue 1 giants are top of the table with a huge 20-point lead over second place Lille.
But PSG blew up a 2-0 lead in their own home which saw them crash out of the Champions League against Manchester United. The quest for European glory remains a dream for the Ligue 1 giants but PSG are certain to secure the domestic double at the end of the season.
It goes without saying that Mbappe is enjoying a spectacular season after winning the World Cup last year but lags behind than his other competitors due to his failures in the Champions League.
