4 reasons why neither Ronaldo nor Messi should win this year's Ballon d'Or

#2 Dip in individual numbers

These exemplary superstars aren't getting any younger

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are still very much exemplary and score more often than not. But, there's simply no denying that both of them have begun to descend from their respective peak forms.

The 2017-18 season wasn't the best for both superstars. In fact, it was far from it, for various reasons. Make no mistake, both players were still surreal to watch and their skills remain unmatched. However, taking numbers into consideration, things look a bit bleaker.

It was arguably Messi's worst season at Barcelona since he became a regular. While his tally of 45 goals and 15 assists from 54 matches across all competitions are nothing short of impressive, it has been his worst.

In the past, other than the 2008-09 season when he was only beginning to establish his name, Messi has never played 50+ goals and scored fewer goals than he did last season. This could also be influenced by the recent need for Messi to sit deeper than usual to orchestrate the attack. However, talking numbers, last season wasn't his best.

On the other hand, Ronaldo's numbers over the last couple of years have been his worst since the 2009-10 season - when he moved to Real Madrid. While his tally of 44 goals and 9 assists from 44 matches in all competitions is also impressive, a bulk of the damage control was done in the Champions League.

In La Liga, Ronaldo's goal tally of 26 goals is his joint worst tally - equalled only by his very first season at the club. Of course, this certainly does have to do with former manager, Zinedine Zidane's team rotation. Conversely, it allowed Ronaldo to excel in the Champions League, forcing his league numbers to drop as low as they did.

If now isn't the time to give someone else a fair chance at the trophy, when is?