Ballon d'Or 2017 Power Rankings - August

#2 Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi has started the season the same way he ended the last one - carrying Barcelona on his back. Following the departure of Neymar and the injury to Luis Suarez, the onus is now on the Argentine - more than ever - to carry the Catalan giants out of the predicament that they are currently in.

Messi arguably enjoyed one of his best seasons in 2016/17, individually at least, but a lack of support from his teammates, coupled with a tactically inept manager, meant that Barcelona ended the season with only the Copa del Rey.

While the departure of Enrique and Neymar has not helped things, there is a glimmer of hope with the arrival of Ousmane Dembele for a club record fee.

The Argentine had a healthy lead over Cristiano Ronaldo both in terms of number of Champions League titles won and the number of Ballon d'Or awards collected, and will surely be eager to prove that his Barcelona are not done yet. He has started the season in fine form, scoring 3 goals in the first 4 games that he has played and he won't be stopping anytime soon.

For now, the 30-year-old is 2nd in Ballon d'Or Power Rankings for the month of August.