Page 3 - Ballon d'Or 2017 Power rankings

On 3rd June 2017, Real Madrid created history, becoming the first team ever to win back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles. Not only that, Zinedine Zidane's side also celebrated a famous double, having secured their first La Liga title in 5 years only a few days before their Champions League victory.The Ballon d'Or race looked done and dusted, for Cristiano Ronaldo had played a pivotal role in Los Blancos' historic triumph.Fast forward 172 days and nothing looks done and dusted anymore. The race to win the Ballon d'Or this year is as close as one can imagine - something unfathomable only a few months ago.What earlier looked like a competition between the 28 other shortlisted players to finish 3rd behind the usual suspects, has slowly turned into an unpredictable race, gearing up for a nail-biting finale.The tables have turned. While Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid have struggled to string together a couple of good games, Lionel Messi has almost single-handedly carried Barcelona on more occasions than one and ensured that the Camp Nou outfit are unbeaten since the two defeats against their arch-rivals in the Supercopa de Espana.With the dynamics of the Ballon d'Or race changing constantly, we take a look at the 5 leading contenders for one of the most prestigious and coveted awards in world football:#5 Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain/Uruguay)It is time he got the credit he deservesEdinson Cavani's stock absolutely plummeted ever since he completed his big-money move to Paris Saint-Germain. Three years of living in the shadows of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, which saw him being shunted to the wings, tarnished his reputation as one of the most lethal strikers in football.Cavani enjoyed a great last season, individually at least, but saw his side's Ligue 1 monopoly challenged by AS Monaco, who eventually pipped the Parc des Princes-based outfit to the league title. The Uruguayan hitman netted 49 goals in all competitions last season and was only behind Lionel Messi in the overall goalscoring charts.While the narrative against the former Napoli man was that most of these goals had been scored against weaker Ligue 1 opponents, the same cannot be said anymore, especially considering that the same French league now has two of the most expensive players in the history of the game.If Neymar can be considered to be a contender for the Ballon d'Or (future or present) despite playing in France, then why shouldn't his strike partner be afforded the same opportunity.Further, even teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe was considered by many to be one of the favourites to finish in the top 5, if not top 3, of the race for the coveted prize. Then why shouldn't Cavani be considered?We have often been too harsh on, and too critical of Cavani, however, his stats speak loud enough. While the dazzling Neymar has scored 13 goals in 11 appearances for PSG, Cavani has netted 19 in the same period, albeit in 5 more games. In the same time, Mbappe has netted 6 goals in 12 games.While two out of the magical trio are the two most expensive footballers in the history of the game, the third is Edinson Cavani, who has scored an equal number of goals as the other two combined.With that, I rest my case.

Ballon d'Or 2017 Power rankings - November

#3 Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain/Brazil)