Portuguese and Real Madrid forward, Cristiano Ronaldo is poised to lift his fifth Ballon D’or by the end of the year. Ronaldo won his fourth award last year to leave him one behind his perennial rival, Argentina and Barcelona star, Lionel Messi.
Both players have dominated the most prestigious individual award in global football in the last decade. The Portuguese edged his Barcelona rival to the award last year after winning the European Championship with Portugal as well as helping Real Madrid to their record eleventh UEFA Champions League trophy.
The Madrid star experienced his longest goal drought in the UCL this season, going 600 minutes without scoring. But all that is now distant memory after scoring a double at Allianz Arena, a hat-trick in the return leg at Santiago Bernabeu, before another treble in the semi-final game against local rival, Athletico Madrid.
While the Portuguese may be way behind Lionel Messi’s 51 goals in all competition this season, Madrid is favourite to win the La Liga and Champions League. This will leave the Portuguese with two major trophies in his possession. Even if Louis Enrique’s men win both the Copa del Rey and the La liga, it is unlikely to earn Messi the Ballon D’or as most voters rate the UCL and other international competitions higher than local leagues. And with no major international competition this year, the odds are indeed in favour of Ronaldo.
A fifth win will put the two on the same level and will no doubt rekindle the debate on who is a better player between the two.
