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The 2018 Ballon d'Or will mark ten years since Cristiano Ronaldo won his first of five Ballon d'Ors. With Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi both claiming 5 each, will one of them edge ahead of this year or will the Ballon d'Or find a new owner?
The obvious favourite for the Ballon d'Or is Cristiano's former teammate, Luke Modric who has won the Champions League and taken his country to a world cup final this season. It is hard to dispute Modric's position on the nominations list this year, however, although for the first time in many years he may not be a favourite, there is still a strong evidence to suggest Ronaldo will claim his 6th Ballon d'Or.
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Here are 5 reasons the Portuguese 33 year old could win the 2018 Ballon D'or:
#1 Ronaldo's Champions League Prowess
In a season where we saw the rise of new goal scorers in the form of the Salah, Mane and Firmino, who all scored ten apiece, Ronaldo once again was top scorer in the Champions League, as he won his 3rd straight UCL title with Real. Scoring 15 in 11 matches Ronaldo finished 5 goals ahead of fellow goalscoring competitors, this was the sixth straight season when Ronaldo was the highest scorer in the Champions League in a campaign where he was also named the best attacking player for the second year running.
Luke Modric, the favourite for this year's Ballon d'Or, only managed to score 1 and assist 1 in this year's Champions League. Despite having the Portuguese goal machine and the attacking ability of Real Madrid (34 goals in UCL) to support him. Modric did not offer a great deal going forward assisting only once which is, in contrast to the 18 goals Ronaldo was involved in, a particularly underwhelming stat.
Ronaldo also beat his major Ballon d'Or rival, Messi, who only netted 6 times as Barcelona lost to Roma who, memorably 'rose from their ruins' in the second leg of the quarter-final.
In the past the Champions league has had a great influence on the result of the Ballon D'or and given Ronaldo's emphatic performance once in the European competition it makes him a strong contender to win again.
#2 Real Madrid collapse
When Ronaldo was sold to Juventus for 100 million one could expect a drop in Real's form however it would have been hard to predict such a major fall in success. Recording losses to Levante, Alaves and a memorable 5-1 loss to rivals Barcelona, 'The Ronald Effect' is evident.
The important factor in this reason is that Modric, this year's Ballon d'Or favourite, continues to struggle at Real Madrid, after Ronaldo's departure. Modric has struggled to find form this season so far only assisting 3 times and yet to score. This is in comparison to Ronaldo finding form quickly at his new club, recording 9 goals and 6 assists already this season. This highlights the difference in class between these two Ballon d'Or favourites for 2018.
If Real Madrid's performance does highlight anything it is the major role Ronaldo undeniably has played in their success last season. Due to the fact that Ronaldo scored 15 times in the last UCL without being assisted by Modric, one could suggest Real Madrid may have been able to have great success without Modric in the team. However, Real Madrid's failure this season shows they definitely would not have been able to without Ronaldo.
#3 The Italian Job: Immediate Juventus success
It is common knowledge that Juventus are setting new records with their unbeaten beginning to the 2018/19 season. A major factor in this is the goals they have been scoring and at the front of this is the Portuguese star. Despite a slow start to open his account, Ronaldo has scored 9 goals and assisted 6 in Juventus' frightening start to the season. Juventus also remain at the top of their group in the Champions League, with Ronaldo's first goal in the UCL this season coming from a memorable volley, against his former Manchester club.
His goal scoring record already makes him the highest scorer for Juventus this season and extra credit should be given as he has shown the ability to adapt and is showing signs of proving himself at yet another club. This is in contrast to Messi who has only proven himself at the Nou Camp.
Ronaldo has been in electrifying form compared to Modric who is part of a struggling Real Madrid side that conceded 14 in their first 10 games of the season.
His ability to succeed and adapt to a different style of play and still appear to be one of the worlds leaves him in an undoubtedly strong position for winning the award this season.
#4 The second highest scorer in Russia
There is no denying the underwhelming performances and results that Messi and Ronaldo's sides provided at the World Cup. However, Ronaldo did manage to finish as the second highest scorer at the 2018 world cup. Scoring 4 goals in 4 games, at the finals he finished two goals behind Harry Kane, who registered two against an arguably poor Tunisian team.
Ronaldo's 4 Russian world cup goals also meant he scored 3 more than Messi and 2 more than the Croatian finalist, Modric.
Ronaldo's 4 World Cup goals included a memorable hat-trick against Spain including a last gap-free kick in the 88th minute to draw the scores level at 3-3.
#5 Ronaldo has been part of the biggest transfer in History
Possibly a minor point compared to other factors but it would be harsh not to mention the mass excitement he has caused off the field with his transfer. The way football is developing, what one does off the field is becoming as important as on the field. Ronaldo has been involved in arguably the greatest transfer in history and despite the mass media coverage and anticipation, he has still continued to perform at the world-class level we are used to seeing of him, on the field.
Given the global effect that football has today surely the sheer size and success of his transfer will be a factor in the minds of those who have the opportunity to vote on this years 2018 Ballon d'Or.
