FIFA Golden

Former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves reckons that the Red Devils will be getting a huge leap into getting of the Ballon d’Or winner in their ranks is the sign Borussia Dortmund striker Ousmane Dembele.

The 19-year-old has been rated as one of the top strikers in European football. The fact that he is still in his teens has made him one of the sought-after signings for top clubs. Since his £12.5 million move to Borussia Dortmund last summer, he has been able to contribute directly 25 goals in the league this season.

Up until 2008 the prestigious Ballon d’Or award was an achievement that all of the top footballers in the world could aspire to attain. In the long history of the golden ball trophy since 1956, the highest number of successive wins by one player was three, held by Michael Platini between 1983 and 1985.

That was until Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi came along. Ever since the Portuguese won the accolade in his final season at Manchester United, he and the Argentine superstar have been untouchable at the top of the tree, both ending in either first or second place every year. With these elite players showing no signs of stopping, when will another star get a look in?

George Weah says that winning the Ballon d’Or award himself and Liberia on the map.

Widely considered as one of the greatest players to come from the African continent,Weah became the first player from Africa to win the Ballon d’Or award and become crowned as the best player in the world. The award has an illustrious history of celebrating the best in the world, andWeah proved that even African players can compete on this level. In his playing days, he was widely known for his time with AC Milan. His solitary Ballon d’Or award came in 1995 after he had contributed immensely to AC Milan’s success in the domestic competitions.

Gabon men National football team captain, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has vowed to put the team's poor time at the Africa Cup on Nations right in the World Cup Qualifiers in August. Putting the three miserable draws (which saw them crash out at the group stage of the tournament they were hosting) behind them and concentrating on beating the Ivory Coast in their next clash.

At the AFCON the Panthers conceded a last-minute goal to only draw 1-1 with minnows Guinea-Bissau in the opener, and could only follow it up with a 1-1 draw against Burkina Faso, before a 0-0 draw with Cameroon saw them exit as th third-placed team.

Manchester United manager José Mourinho felt that striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic should have won at least one FIFA Ballon d’Or award in his career.

Ibrahimovic remains as one of the most prolific players to have never won the award. Apart from being prolific on a personal level, Ibrahimovic has also won numerous major honours with the club. He is one of the few players in the world to have one major titles with several top clubs. In fact, very few players have been able to claim successes with the likes of Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus, AC Milan, Paris St Germain, and lately, Manchester United.

Former Barcelona defender Dani Alves says that the media have twisted the words of Cristiano Ronaldo and have made him look like a staunch enemy to the Brazilian – especially at the FIFA Ballon d’Or award ceremony.

Ronaldo managed to win a fourth Ballon d’Or title by beating Lionel Messi to the crown. He is just one behind the Argentine superstar. However, there has been a lot of talk that Ronaldo has been receiving unfair treatment when he is on poor form, like Lionel Messi, who does not get the same amount of stick

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has said that he would not rush recovering Welsh football star Gareth Bale.

The player is yet to full recover from a long-term ankle injury but it looks like the team needs his help even as they manage to extend the lead in the La Liga.

Since 2008, there have been only two winners of the Ballon d’Or. Cristiano Ronaldo has won the prestigious award four times and Lionel Messi has clinched it on five occasions in the past nine years. With the Real Madrid ace and the Barcelona forward going strong at the moment, it is hard to see anyone breaking the duopoly anytime soon.

However, Ronaldo and Messi cannot go on forever and there will come a time when they would have to hang up their boots. The Portugal international turns 32 in February, while the Argentina international will be 30 by the time the 2017-18 season starts. Someone else will have to win the Ballon d’Or in the coming years. Could it be Antoine Griezmann or Paul Pogba?

Cristiano Ronaldo has managed to win his fourth Ballon d’Or award as expected.

After being crowned as the Champions League winner with Real Madrid and going on to lift the Euro 2016 with Portugal, Ronaldo was an overwhelming favourite for the title ahead of Lionel Messi. It was not a disappointing campaign for Messi by any standards, but he was able to win only the league title. As a result, he has fallen behind for the 2016 award. However, he manages to retain the lead over Ronaldo in the overall standings after having won a record five Ballon d’Or titles.

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has backed Cristiano Ronaldo for the Ballon d’Or awards this year.

The Portuguese player is in pole position to pick up the award after an impressive year for club and country. Real Madrid won yet another UEFA Champions League, making the second in three years after they had lifted their tenth in 2014. Ronaldo captained Portugal to their first major title in decades as they lifted the Euro 2016 in France this summer. Ronaldo’s contributions were immense, sparking the debate that the award was sure to name him the best in the game.