The Ballon d’Or is the award given to the player deemed the best in the world every year and we’re two weeks away from the Jan. 12 announcement. Considering the numbers they have put up over the past few years, it comes as no surprise that superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have split this award the last six times dating back to 2008, when Ronaldo was with Manchester United.
Messi has the 4-2 edge in Ballon d’Or award wins over that span but Ronaldo won it last year. Put it this way: if you’re a betting man, you’ll want to pick between Ronaldo and Messi as the award will almost certainly go to one of those two superstars. Here is a quick look at the three candidates along with our ranking from most likely to win to least likely, along with their odds to win listed in brackets next to them.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (-600)
The debate between Ronaldo vs. Messi will continue, but for this season alone it’s clear that the former deserves his due as a repeat winner. Ronaldo was fantastic from an individual standpoint, scoring an incredible 61 goals for Real Madrid in 61 games. When you factor not only the amount of goals but the ways he’s scored and the timing, it’s simply incredible. And don’t forget he also added 19 assists.
From a team standpoint, he also helped Real Madrid add to its trophy case in 2014 with a UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, and finish as runners-up in the Supercopa de Espana. At this point in time, they’re also first in La Liga and have made it through to the Round of 16 in the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League. Not a bad season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-c0AnoNIVQ
Ronaldo is flashy playmaker and is the clear favorite for a reason. After beating out Franck Ribery for the Ballon d’Or last season, it would be a surprise if he didn’t take it again. German midfielder Thomas Muller spoke out about how he felt it didn’t make sense to have a reveal ceremony when Ronaldo was such a lock to win and, if you believe that, then the only question left is whether you are willing to invest in the Portuguese superstar to win at (-600).
2. Lionel Messi (+500)
Who would have ever figured that a once-in-a-lifetime talent like Lionel Messi would be at +500 to win this award? Usually, he’s the shoe-in.
Even though he remains one of the most dominant players in the world it’s safe to say Messi did not play at the level he did when he last won this award two years ago. That’s why the payout is so generous for him. Combined with Ronaldo’s dominance, that could be enough for him to be passed over this year. That said, Messi also became La Liga’s all-time scoring leader and helped Argentina get to the World Cup finals. At (+500) odds, he remains a very attractive option as the one player with a real chance to steal the award from Ronaldo. It wouldn’t be the craziest thing that happened.
3. Manuel Neuer (+1,100)
The darkhorse candidate on this list is Neuer, who helped Bayern Munich cruise to a Bundesliga title while also playing a key role as the keeper for the World Cup winner Germany. In the Bundesliga, he had 18 appearances with five clean sheets, conceding 1.06 goals per outing.
Neuer was fantastic when it came to both making saves and moving the ball forward from the back with both his club and country. But even as the best goalkeeper in the world, his position is a problem when it comes to this award. Lev Yashin is the only goalie to ever win the Ballon d’Or and that was all the way back in 1963. Neuer may very well deserve the award but it’s much more difficult to quantify what an elite goalkeeper brings to the table and based on precedent it’s more likely that the award goes to Ronaldo or Messi.
