On January 13, the Balon d’Or, or FIFA’s Player of the Year award, will be announced, and there can be only one winner — Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese is the highest scorer in the Spanish La Liga with 20 goals in 17 appearances for club Real Madrid and has had a phenomenal year for his national team as well. The highlight of his sensational 12 months include his hat-trick against Sweden in the second leg of the crucial World Cup playoff game, where he single-handedly ensured Portugal would participate in the showpiece event.

Ronaldo has been nominated alongside French winger Franck Ribery and arch rival and current title-holder Argentine Lionel Messi. The Portuguese won the award in 2008 but has watched Messi claim the award for the past four years.

While Ribery has achieved greater team success with Bayern Munich — winning a quintet of trophies throughout 2013 — Ronaldo’s individual brilliance is likely to give him the edge when the final votes are tallied. Messi’s brief absence through injury coupled with an easier World Cup qualification, where he didn’t have to shoulder the entire burden of Argentina’s qualification, only makes Ronaldo’s case stronger.

Ronaldo has taken goal scoring to the next level and has broken every record that has come his way. He is the only player to have scored in Euro 2004, World Cup 2006, Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012. He recently scored his 400th career goal and is streets ahead of both Messi and Ribery when it comes to stats for 2013.

Football might be a team game, but when it comes to the Balon d’Or, only individual stats count.

Do you football fans out there agree? Write in to us at > bloncampus@thehindu.co.in.

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