Lionel Messi will reign another year as the Ballon d'Or winner following the announcement that the award will not be given this year. France Football made the decision in consideration of the disrupted football calendar due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, some players may be missing out more than others.

Cristiano Ronaldo won't be happy to miss his chance to equal Lionel Messi's record of six Ballon d'Or trophies. Before Modric took the surprise victory in 2018, Messi and Ronaldo dominated the award. This year could have been a chance for Ronaldo to get back on equal footing with his rival. With Juventus currently on track to win the Serie A, Ronaldo has been on fire on the pitch. He hasn't shown any signs of slowing down, and has scored 28 goals in the season so far. With five matches remaining, he can extend his goal tally well beyond that of Messi.

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The Ballon d’Or will not be awarded in 2020. As the organizer of the Ballon d’Or, the Group L’Équipe, to which France Football belongs, decided not to award the most prestigious individual trophy there is in 2020. Pascal Ferré, editor-in-chief of France Football : « For the first time since 1956, the Ballon d’Or will take a break. There will be no edition in 2020, because it turns out, after thoughtful consideration, that all the conditions are not met. We believe that such a singular year cannot -and should not- be treated as an ordinary one. From a sports perspective, two months (January and February), out of the eleven generally required to form an opinion and decide who should lift the trophies, represent far too little to gauge and judge ; without forgetting that the other games were played – or will be played – in unordinary conditions (behind closed doors, with five replacements, Champions League’s Final 8 played in a single game). Finally, the equity that prevails for this honorary title will not be warranted, especially when it comes to accounting and preparation : all the award seekers will not be in the same boat, some having seen their season cut short. Therefore, how can we establish a fair comparison? To avoid overly convoluted calculations and projections, we chose the least bad of the options. This decision, which was taken of course with all the Group stakeholders, does not delight us but it seems to be the most responsible one. Protecting the credibility and legitimacy of such an award also means ensuring its flawlessness over time. The Ballon d’Or will gather again the football big family and enthusiasts in 2021, to relive the happiness that surrounds the ceremonies as we have experienced them in recent years ».

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Not to discount the Argentine forward, he also has a fair chance to extend his Ballon d'Or record if the award was not called off. He just bagged the golden boot at the recently concluded La Liga Santander albeit with only 25 goals. It was a somewhat troubled year for FC Barcelona, which may have hurt Messi's chances. Nevertheless, he is always a top contender.

Speaking of the golden boot, Robert Lewandowski came home with the accolade for his performance at the German Bundesliga. With a total haul of 34 goals, he has so far outperformed both Ronaldo and Messi. This year might have been his chance to win the Ballon d'Or, but it seems he will have to try again next year.

Other players like Real Madrid duo Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema also have an outside chance of winning the award this year. The pair led the team's resurgence after a disastrous 2018-2019 season. They have just lifted their first La Liga trophy since Ronaldo's departure. If they manage to also win the UEFA Champions League, one of them could have been this year's winner.

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Cristiano Ronaldo Lionel Messi Real Madrid