FIFA's 'The Best': Nominee Overview

3. Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo celebrating his hat-trick against Spain at the 2018 World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo stands as the only player to have won the award till date. After the 'UEFA Player Of The Year' disappointment on losing out to Luka Modric, Ronaldo will be keen on winning this one.

Having played his part, being critical in the group stage and decisive in the earlier knockout stages in the UEFA Champions League, bagging three important goals against PSG, scoring 'that' goal against Juventus and two more, and retaining the title of UCL top scorer, Cristiano's season was defined by important UCL games which overshadow his below-par performance (by his standards), in many league matches.

Ronaldo has the statistics on his side (44 goals in 44 matches last season and top goalscorer in 2018 with 36). Purely on numbers, you're bound to hail Ronaldo after taking a look at his numbers for performing at this level despite being 33. However, Ronaldo's performances weren't up to the mark in the majority of the games. That being said, Ronaldo faced his share of up's and downs this season along with the incoming criticism but he made sure he did what he does best, reminding the world how dominant he is in the big stage.

Notwithstanding, even at 33, Ronaldo continues to maintain himself like he's still in his early twenties, scoring a myriad of goals this season just like any previous season, bossing it on the European stage, and doing great at the World Cup as well (4 goals in 4 games). Being the second highest scorer in La Liga last season, netting 26 and being the top scorer in the UCL, Ronaldo has proved that although he isn't in his prime anymore, he's far from finished.

Madrid's brilliance in the deeper rounds, even without a great Ronaldo, handed them the UCL, their third title in a row. Ronaldo managed to cover up perfectly for his and the team's League performances by his breath-taking performances in, particularly important Champions league games.

The UCL title overshadows all other silverware. Factors like these play a massive part despite 'The Best' is an individual award. It would, therefore, be fitting to include Ronaldo in the top 3 and consider him likely to win the award again.