After the three-man shortlist was announced, the bookmakers believe the Barcelona star is almost certain to win the individual prize for a fifth time
Two names have dominated the Ballon d’Or over the past decade, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi winning the prize for the past seven years.
The pair have been named on the three-man shortlist for the 2015 award along with Messi’s Barcelona team-mate Neymar. The ceremony takes place on January 11 but the bookmakers certainly believe the outcome is almost a foregone conclusion.
The 28-year-old, who was recently crowned the winner of the Goal 50 for 2015, is just 1/7 (1.14) with Paddy Power to pick up this fifth Ballon d’Or title after seeing his La Liga rival scoop the prize in the previous two years. Ronaldo is a distant second at 8/1 (6.0) while Neymar priced at 15/2 (8.50).
The votes are cast by each national team’s coach, their captain and a member of the media chosen to represent that country. Ronaldo was crowned the winner with 37.6 per cent of the votes in 2015.
It’s nearly impossible to argue against Messi as this year’s winner though, especially after seeing him help Barcelona to a treble under Luis Enrique in his first season in charge at the Camp Nou, scoring 43 league goals in the previous campaign.
Although Ronaldo was the highest scorer in Europe’s top divisions last term with 48, a year he claims to have been his best, Argentina’s achievements on the international stage also look to be a contributing factor in the short price available on Messi compared to his rivals.
Having provided one goal and three assists in the Copa America on the way to finishing as runners-up to host nation Chile, a high-profile international campaign certainly hands the advantage to the Argentine, who was named in the team of the tournament.
The 23-year-old could certainly be considered a genuine contender for the Fifa crown in years to come given his displays for the Catalan club over the last year but he looks set to remain well behind his La Liga rivals on this occasion.
Ronaldo said earlier this month that he expects Messi to deny him a hat-trick of victories at the ceremony in January and the odds compilers certainly agree with his assessment.
