Ballon d'Or 2019: Ranking the top five favorites - August 2019

#4 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Juventus)

Ronaldo captained Portugal to the UEFA Nations League trophy

Cristiano Ronaldo is the record winner of this award, having won it a joint five times with arch rival Lionel Messi.

The Portuguese record goalscorer embarked on a new chapter in his illustrious career with Juventus after nine stellar seasons with Real Madrid and despite starting the season slowly in Turin, he still ended his debut campaign decently.

Ronaldo ended the 2018/2019 season with 28 goals and 10 assists from 43 matches in all competitions last term and while those might be poor returns considering his otherworldly standards, it is still fair enough to see him installed as the fourth favorite for the 2019 Ballon d'Or.

Though he ended the season with 'just' the Serie A and Super Coppa Italia to show, the 34-year-old's claim to the prize was boosted massively boosted when he captained his nation to glory in the Nations League on home soil.

Portugal getting there had a lot to do with Ronaldo, as despite not playing a part in the group stage, the Madeira native returned with a bang in the semifinal against Switzerland, scoring a hat-trick to fire his nation to the final.

Having seen his stronghold of the Ballon d'Or broken by Luka Modric last year, Ronaldo would be keen to get his hands back on his beloved prize and an explosive start to next season could see his chances increased.