Cristiano Ronaldo: 3 things that need to happen for the Portuguese star to win the Ballon d'Or

#2 Argentina must not win the Copa America

Messi has failed to inspire Argentina to an international trophy in recent years.

Messi shares the same number of Ballon d'Or's as Ronaldo. He has also, like Ronaldo, had a mixed season. He has individually been brilliant for Barcelona. He has helped them win the La Liga title while leading the charts for both goals and assists in the league.

However, a shock 4-0 defeat to Liverpool ended their Champions League hopes. On top of that, they lost 2-1 to Valencia in the final of the Copa Del Rey. This has left Messi with only a single trophy to show for this season. With both Ronaldo and Messi winning their respective leagues with ease, their focus will now be on the international stage.

As previously mentioned, Portugal are in the UEFA Nations League semifinals. Argentina will also be taking part in an international competition - The Copa America. While Messi has amassed numerous trophies at Barcelona, he has not achieved the same with Argentina.

The South American side are known to stumble at the final hurdle. Argentina lost to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final and lost to Chile in both the 2015 and 2016 Copa America final. The lack of international trophies has attracted a lot of criticism towards Messi.

With Messi the favourite for the Ballon d'Or, Ronaldo must hope that Argentina once again loses out on the Copa America. Also, if Portugal win the Nations League, then Ronaldo will outnumber Messi in terms of trophies. With the number of trophies won by a player playing a big part in deciding the Ballon d'Or, Ronaldo might edge Messi to claim the honour.