The Case for Cristiano Ronaldo
Last week my blog covered the top five candidates (in my opinion) to end Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's 10-year reign over the Ballon d'Or trophy. Over the next two weeks I will be talking about why Ronaldo (this week) and Messi (next week) still have what it takes to keep the streak going this upcoming December.
Why Ronaldo should win...
Cristiano Ronaldo led his old team, Real Madrid, to a third straight UEFA Champions League title during in the 2017-18 season, putting in one of his best seasons to date in the competition at the age of 33 before leaving to Juventus. He finished with 15 goals (most in the tournament) and three assists in the competition. He also became the first player to score in 11 straight UCL matches. He didn't only perform well in the UCL however, as he also provided 26 goals (second most in the league) and five assists in La Liga and four goals (tied for second in the tournament) for Portugal in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. His Portugal side made it out of the group stages despite the lack of talent surrounding him, however they eventually lost to Uruguay 2-1 in the round of 16.
Ronaldo's dominance in the Champions League, what many call the most prestigious club tournament in the world, has been enough to win him four of the last five Ballon d'Or trophies. Many people believe it will be enough once again to give him a record breaking sixth award due to his consistent goal-scoring against Europe's best clubs.
Why Ronaldo shouldn't win...
The case against Ronaldo is his old club's performance in La Liga, which Messi's Barcelona has dominated over the last decade. Real Madrid finished in third place last season, a whole 27 points behind Barcelona. This season with Juventus however, the Portuguese man has gotten off to an incredible start in the Serie A.
This may mean the end of his domestic woe's once and for all.
