Ballon d'Or Power Ranking: December 2019

1. Lionel Messi - Barcelona

FC Barcelona v Borussia Dortmund: Group F - UEFA Champions League

Lionel Messi has been in a league of his own this year, even by the standards he's set for himself in recent years and the Argentine is tipped to win the Ballon d'Or for a record-breaking sixth time The Barcelona talisman has been virtually unstoppable since the turn of the year and has spearheaded the Catalan giants to yet another league title, as he won the Pichichi by scoring a staggering 15 goals more than his closest competitor.

The legendary attacker's numbers from the 2018/19 season bordered on absurdity, as he registered 51 goals and 22 assists in all competitions last season. Despite being injured for a sizable period this season, Messi has returned to his brilliant best in recent weeks and his tally of 10 goals and 8 assists at this stage of the season makes him the front-runner for the award.

Since his record-breaking 91 goal haul in 2011, this has been his most productive year in terms of numbers and the fact that he's continued to produce the goods at the age of 32 is conclusive proof that Messi has aged like fine wine. The diminutive Argentinian is on the verge of making history and if he were to pick up the prestigious award in December, he'd stamp his status as one of the greatest players to grace the game.

Messi was already named FIFA Men's Best Player of the Year for his all-round brilliance earlier this year and it remains to be seen if he adds yet another Ballon d'Or to his growing trophy cabinet.