Betting Experts Rank Ronaldo as Favorite for Ballon d’Or

Current holder of the Ballon d’Or Cristian Ronaldo is the favorite ahead of Messi to swoop the award for the third overall time in the illustrious career.



FIFA Ballon d’Or is football’s most prestigious individual award that a player can receive. It is given to footballers as a recognition for the hard work they have put into their games over the last year. Normally, it is the forwards or the attackers in the teams that get the most attention for their footballing exploits and this year is no different.



Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo is a fearsome forward that has claimed the trophy on two separate occasions winning the award for 2008 and 2013. In between those years he was usurped by a diminutive Argentinian Lionel Messi of Barcelona. However, in recent times Ronaldo has once again emerged on the scene and is the favorite to claim it again for 2014.

Two players divided 6 awards

• Ronaldo won the trophy for 2008 and 2013

• Messi won the accolade for four straight seasons

• The Portuguese continues to shine in recent games

• Muller and Robben fight for third favorite

According many online sportsbooks in the UK, Ronaldo is thought to be in the front seat to claim the prestigious accolade for his second consecutive year and third overall. He has managed to finally silence Messi with his dazzling performances in the past two seasons, by contributing everything he has to his team and winning the most important trophies.

Since Brazilian World Cup winner Kaka won the award for 2007, it has been a two-legged race involving only Ronaldo and Messi. No other players have seriously managed to make their presence known while the superstar duo claimed the top spot. Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or for 2008, which was followed by Messi winning it for four consecutive years.

After peaking with his fourth crown, the time finally came for Ronaldo to take over the spotlight once again. He received the award last season right after he guided Portugal to the World Cup finals in Brazil. Football experts would agree that he genuinely deserved the prize then, however despite being favorite now it doesn’t seem fair to give it to him one more time.

The point is that neither Messi nor Ronaldo showcased what they are normally capable of. Their performances during the World Cup were not the greatest signs of what superstars of their caliber can do, so neither one can be viewed as the most outstanding player in line to receive the coveted award.

Sportsbooks heavily favor Ronaldo

Currently, mobile betting firms Betfair, BetVictor and Betfred are all offering odds of 2.00 (1/1) for the Portuguese superstar to scoop the Ballon d’Or. While Messi lies in second place with BetVictor’s 3.75 (11/4) odds, while both Betfred and Betfair are giving 3.25 (9/4).

Germany forward Thomas Muller and Dutch winger Arjen Robben will battle it out for the third favorite. They both currently boast similar chances with Muller slightly on top of his Dutch teammate at Bayern Munich. Betfair gives chances of Muller succeeding a round 10.00 (9/1), while Robben has been assigned odds of 11.00 (10/1).

Neymar currently sits behind Muller and Robben in fifth place with odds of 13.00 (12/1) provided by Betfair. Some might argue that the Brazilian magician should be further up the list for potential candidates, as Brazil heavily relied on his uncanny skills during the World Cup. However, he still has time to prove himself on the big stage and claim the award.

At times it is common for judges to award the Ballon d’Or to the most outstanding player of a team that has won the Champions League in the last season. Considering that Real Madrid won the trophy for a record 10th time and Ronaldo scored an unprecedented 17 goals during the European campaign, it is easy to see why he’s on top of the favorites chart.

In addition, since the new season started the 29-year-old has bagged in a massive number of goals in just a few outings, according to gambling news. In La Liga he notched an impressive 9 goals in just 4 appearances, while across all competitions he already has 12 in 8 games.

Last weekend he scored a hat-trick against Deportivo La Coruna, however when Los Blancos faced Elche recently he increased the stakes as he bagged a cool four goals during the game. These recent incredible stats contributed to placing him in pole position for the prize. Should he win it would be his third in total, but still one short of Messi’s four.