Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suarez - Who actually deserves the Ballon d'Or this year?

Lionel Messi

One of the two standout players of this generation, Lionel Messi has had another solid season for Barcelona and Argentina this year. Although most of us will remember Messi exiting the field in tears after Argentina’s loss to Chile in the Copa America final, one cannot discount the fact that the Argentine maestro was arguably the player of the tournament.

Playing in a wider role for Barcelona after Luis Enrique's arrival, Messi is arguably even more dangerous now than he was under Pep as he is capable of scoring and creating with equal ease. Blessed with a magical left foot, unbelievable close control and silky dribbling skills, Lionel Messi is quite close to being the perfect footballer.

With 26 goals, 16 assists and 72 chances created, Lionel Messi was once again crucial in Barcelona’s stunning double this season. His performances in the La Liga and Copa Del Rey were simply astonishing and he even had a very good Copa America campaign scoring 5 goals which included a 19-minute hat-trick against Panama.

But, Messi had a poor Champions League campaign by his lofty standards and even though he scored 6 goals in 7 Champions League games, he did not perform to the expected standards in the big games.

Football fans have a notoriously short memory and for many of them, the image of Lionel Messi missing the penalty in the Copa America final will be etched in their minds. With Suarez arguably having a better La Liga campaign and Messi failing to inspire Argentina to a Copa America triumph, the prospect of winning the Ballon d’Or for the sixth time currently looks slightly bleak for one of the greatest players of all time.