The Ballon d'Or 2017 will be awarded by "France Football" on 7 December, 2017 and is given annually to the best footballer of the year since 1956. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have maintained their duopoly on the award over the past decade having won the prestigious prize 5 and 4 times respectively and the top two names are expected to be all too familiar this year as well.
Though Ronaldo has had a better year with Real Madrid, winning La Liga as well as the Champions League, Messi has been magnificent at the individual level, dazzling everyone with his performances day in and day out. Messi has scored 52 goals and has provided 14 assists in 60 appearances this year, an outrageous return even by his lofty standards.
