Has Cristiano Ronaldo done enough to win the Ballon d’Or this time?

Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably one of the best footballers to ever play the game. The Portuguese international is known for his pace, dribbling skills, heading abilities and also for his dangerous runs on both the sides of the pitch. Cristiano has come a long way since his move to Manchester United.

People have constantly compared him to Lionel Messi on the basis of the number of titles that they have helped their club win. Messi and Ronaldo’s goal scoring rate has been astonishing. Messi has won the Ballon d’Or on the previous 3 occasions. This time around, Ribery is also in contention for the award. The Frenchmen has helped Bayern win the treble in 2012-2013 season.

There will surely be people who will argue that Messi and Ribery are more deserving when compared to Cristiano because of the titles won by their respective clubs. But, there is a difference between the League titles and the Ballon d’Or. Ballon d’Or is given to an individual for his performance. Messi has scored 76 goals in 66 matches. Ribery has scored 24 goals in 66 matches. Cristiano has scored 38 goals and provided 7 assists in 29 matches this season for his club and country. If we combine this with the 55 goals in 55 matches last season for Real Madrid, he is clearly the leading contender for the award. Considering the previous year’s results, I would not be amazed if we get to see Ribery winning because of Bayern’s exploits. But the footballing world owes it to Ronaldo for entertaining us day in day out. His continued perseverance to be the greatest footballer in the world has helped him evolve into a complete footballer. He truly deserves the Ballon d’Or ahead of Ribery and Messi this time around.