Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are running out of time to surpass one another’s individual achievements.
The two have each won the Ballon d’Or five times, but find themselves competing with Virgil van Dijk ahead of the 64th annual ceremony.
Few would begrudge either of them a record sixth Ballon d’Or – and we might be getting a little closer to finding out where the trophy is heading.
Of the 30-man shortlist, Ronaldo’s odds of winning have suddenly taken a tumble, as noted by Bleacher Report’s football insider Dean Jones.
Within 24 hours, Ronaldo went from a 33/1 outsider all the way down to 5/1. Do the bookies know something we don’t?
The 34-year-old is off to a decent start in 2019/20 with four goals in seven league games – yet nothing particularly eye-catching by his standards.
Should the Portuguese triumph, many fans would be in uproar. Juventus winning another Scudetto is essentially par for the course, and Ronaldo didn’t match Messi’s goalscoring exploits last term.
The Argentine surpassed the 50-mark in all competitions, whereas Ronaldo managed 27.