Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Juventus from Real Madrid in a £105million transfer back in July, is aiming to win the Ballon d’Or for a stunning sixth time.
The 33-year-old has enjoyed a fine year so far, propelling Los Blancos to a third Champions League title on the trot before jumping ship to Turin.
Ronaldo is shining for Juventus in Serie A, scoring nine goals to sit second in the top scoring charts behind Genoa hotshot Krzysztof Piatek. Luka Modric is the favourite to win the award, having blossomed for Real Madrid and Croatia over the last 10 months.
French duo Antoine Griezmann and Raphael Varane could also take the prize after helping their country win the World Cup in Russia.
Messi, who has helped Barcelona to the La Liga summit, is not to be discounted either, However, Sky Italia now claim to have unearthed where Ronaldo and the others will finish.
The Juventus star will supposedly finish second. And Modric, who beat Ronaldo to the FIFA Best Player Award in September, will be crowned winner.
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| Luka Modric |
And that means Messi will not finish on the podium for the first time since 2006, when his Barcelona career was only just really starting.
Meanwhile, speaking recently, Ronaldo admitted he was eager to win the Ballon d’Or again.
"I said many times, winning a sixth Ballon d'Or is not an obsession," he told France Football.
"And I do not ask the question in these terms. I already know, in my heart, that I am one of the best players in history.
"Of course, I want to win this sixth Ballon d'Or! It would be a lie to tell you the opposite. I work for that.
"As I work to score goals and win games without it being an obsession.
"I think I deserve it this year… Yes, I dream of winning the Ballon d’Or for the sixth time and passing, in this case, Lionel Messi."
