Ballon d'Or Power Rankings: April 2018

#1 Lionel Messi

Yes Leo, you're still No.1

Despite the Portuguese megastar biting at the ankles of the Argentine, Messi has managed to reclaim top spot in our power rankings for the month of April.

The Barcelona talisman has not seen as much football as his adversary in March, having missed out on both international friendlies for Argentina due to injury, as well as the first hour against Sevilla on the last day of March.

But the little time he was on the pitch was enough to leave his competitors baffled in a trail of sensational "out of this world" football.

He started off the month by scoring in a 1-1 draw against Las Palmas to keep Barca's unbeaten run intact. He followed that up with an unbelievable free-kick against Atletico to win all three points.

He was left out of the side against Malaga but came back in the team to score in a win against Athletic Bilbao.

Amidst all this, he also managed to secure qualification to the quarter-finals of the Champions League in a 3-0 win over Chelsea at the Camp Nou. Messi was chief-tormentor with a brace and an assist.

But the moment that saw him clinch top spot, yet again, came in the spectacular come-back, master-minded by the Argentine, against Sevilla on the eve of the start of April.

Messi was left on the bench by Valverde and as a result, saw his team fall two goals behind.

Messi came off the bench around the hour mark to inspire his side to score two goals in the final two minutes which included a Messi Special from the edge of the box - similar to the one he got at the Bernabeu to beat Madrid with the last kick of the game.

How do you keep this man out of the game? He literally was out of the game but still managed to affect it with his oozing brilliance in the last minute of the game to keep his side on track for the ultimate prize - going unbeaten throughout the season.