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Cristiano Ronaldo's most recent Ballon d'Or triumph came in 2017. The Portuguese won the accolade following his unbelievable performances for Real Madrid in 2016-17. That campaign, the Merengues became the first team to successfully defend their UEFA Champions League title.
Since then, the winger has gone over three years without claiming the prestigious honour. The winner of the 2021 Ballon d'Or award will be announced in less than two weeks, but Ronaldo definitely isn't one of the favourites to win it. His eternal rival Lionel Messi, Bayern Munich sharpshooter Robert Lewandowski and Chelsea midfielder Jorginho are all ahead of Ronaldo in this year's race.
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On a realistic note, it doesn't look like the Portuguese will be able to add another Ballon d'Or award to his impressive cabinet. Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have won the award for the final time in his career in 2017. On that note, here are five reasons why that could be the case.
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo is past his prime
Although he remains one of the greatest players in history, Cristiano Ronaldo is no longer the same player he was between 2008 and 2017. At 36, it's only natural that age has started to have its toll on the Portuguese maestro.
The attacker isn't as sharp and efficient as he was a couple of years back. He has lost his dribbling and ability to whizz past opposition defenders in one-on-one situations. His pace, shooting accuracy, free-kick prowess and overall playmaking skills have also dropped significantly.
Ronaldo is only expected to decline further as he adds more years to his age. That would make it more difficult for him to become a Ballon d'Or winner again.
#4 Reduced efficiency in front of goal could impact his Ballon d'Or chances
Cristiano Ronaldo has managed to stay at the top despite entering the twilight of his career, by transforming himself into a goalscoring machine. However, over the last two to three years, the 36-year-old's efficiency in front of goal has reduced significantly.
CR7, in his best seasons, guaranteed 40-50 goals per term. But that is now long gone. Last season, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner bagged just 35 goals across competitions - including a paltry four in his favourite competition - the UEFA Champions League.
In the previous campaign, he recorded 37 goals to his name, while in the season before that, he could only manage 28. The last time the Portuguese attacker reached the 40-goal mark was in the 2017-18 campaign when he scored 44 goals across all competitions for Real Madrid.
#3 Manchester United's struggles
Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Manchester United after leaving Juventus this summer. But it doesn't look like it was a good decision. Although the 36-year-old has had a decent start to his campaign, the overall performances of the team have been nothing to write home about.
Manchester United are a lowly eighth in the Premier League table, winning only five of their 12 games so far. The Red Devils are already out of the EFL Cup following a 1-0 loss to West Ham in September. They also have a mountain to climb to qualify for the Champions League knockout stage.
As things stand, the Premier League giants still have a long way to go to match other European elites. There's a huge possibility they could fail to qualify for the Champions League next term. If that happens, that would seriously jeopardise Cristiano Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or chances.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal haven't been convincing enough in recent times
Portugal appear to be going in the same direction as Manchester United right now - nowhere. Both teams have failed to impress despite comprising incredible players across positions.
At the moment, the 2016 Euro champions are pale shadows of their illustrious selves. They've found themselves in a very tight position to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar after losing to Serbia at home in the qualifiers last week. They've lost an automatic qualification spot, and will now need to navigate the treacherous playoff route to seal their berth in the quadrennial tournament.
Performances at the FIFA World Cup tend to impact major awards. Should Portugal fail to make it to the competition, Cristiano Ronaldo can simply forget about winning the Ballon d'Or award next year. It goes without mentioning that as he ages in the subsequent years, his chances would keep diminishing.
#1 There is intense competition for the Ballon d'Or award
While Cristiano Ronaldo has slowed down in recent years, his major rivals have raised their games, and more names have joined the queue. Lionel Messi, for instance, is enjoying his brightest year with Argentina right now, shortly after leading them to Copa America 2021 triumph.
The Albiceleste have qualified for the FIFA World Cup, and are considered among the favourites to win the tournament. The likes of Robert Lewandowski, Mohamed Salah and Karim Benzema have become unstoppable - more efficient and more consistent than Ronaldo right now.
The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden have also announced themselves in the scene. With these names taking centre-stage, Ronaldo might lose out in the battle for the Ballon d'Or award in the coming years.
