Ballon d'Or Betting: Ronaldo now a lukewarm favourite

There's cause to query Cristiano Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or worthiness

Cristiano Ronaldo has passed Lionel Messi as Ballon d'Or frontrunner, but Michael Lintorn says that neither deserves it...

Your first thought on stumbling upon a Ballon d'Or story might be that the award hasn't provoked as much discussion as usual this year, and the reason is surely that there is no outstanding candidate.

For six years, it has been an exclusively Lionel Messi v Cristiano Ronaldo discussion, with Messi crowned four times to Ronaldo's two and the synonymous pair locking out the top two five times.

Ronaldo is in possession and recently overtook Messi as a 2.26/5 favourite to retain for no obvious reason other than that he scored seven goals in his last two matches against Deportivo and Elche.

That would be a phenomenal feat for most players no doubt, but is absurdly close to standard fare for the Portuguese machine. Besides, Ballon d'Ors aren't usually won on contribution against bottom-half La Liga sides.

It would be ridiculous if either all-time great triumphed in a year where both failed in their most routine task: winning La Liga. Both Barcelona and Real Madrid were usurped by unfancied Atletico Madrid, the first time in a decade that a Clasico club didn't deliver the title.

That might seem harsh on Ronaldo given his record-breaking impact on Real's Champions League success, yet even then he was disappointing in the final before an underwhelming World Cup.

The World Cup is the other key point as to why the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly should end, as in tournament years, it normally takes precedence. Admittedly, the Argentine won in 2010 despite a mediocre showing, but his Barcelona output was staggering at that moment.

It was arguably his peak, the year in between his team's two Champions League titles, and even then Spain heroes Andres Iniesta and Xavi nudged Ronaldo off the podium, the sole instance of that happening in the last seven years.

A World Cup winner doubled up with the Ballon d'Or in 2006 (Fabio Cannavaro), 2002 (Ronaldo), 1998 (Zinedine Zidane) and 1990 (Lothar Matthaus). 1994 wasn't really an exception either as the top two - Hristo Stoichkov and Roberto Baggio - were protagonists in USA.

Thomas Muller is the 11.010/1 third favourite, though it is Manuel Neuer that this writer likes at 15.014/1. Olivier Kahn claimed bronze as a runner-up in 2002 and Neuer played a more headline-grabbing role, so much so that it is surprising that a "sweeper keeper" drinking game never caught on this summer.

Rarely has a goalkeeper attracted so much publicity and admiration without taking set-pieces (yet, like Jose Luis Chilavert and friends, he has form in that department too), with his and Hugo Lloris' speed, anticipation and adventure sprinting off their line revolutionising the game somewhat.

While his Champions League challenge fell at the semi-final stage, he won every other major honour available - Bundesliga, German Cup, World Cup - and earned a Golden Glove in Brazil too.

Recommended Bet: Back Manuel Neuer to win the Ballon d'Or @ 15.014/1