Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi has been involved in one of the most heated up rivalries of the modern game, and despite not plying their trade in the same league, are still competing for accolades. Their rivalry seems to be on the mouth of several football supporters and pundits. Many tip Messi to be excluded from the Top 3 of the Ballon d’Or for the first time since 2006 whilst Ronaldo is expected to be amongst the top 3, barring a surprise.
The ranking for the top scorer in Europe for 2018 remains open with both players counting on their goal tally for the trophy. Ronaldo will be counting on his goals from Real Madrid and Juventus. Lionel Messi currently has 40 goals, Ronaldo has 37 goals while Lewandowski comes in a distant third with 32 goals.
Ronaldo has nine games left of 2018 calendar year to close the gap with Messi, as Juventus take on Spal, Valencia, Fiorentina, Inter, Young Boys, Torino, Roma, Atalanta and Sampdoria. Messi, meanwhile, has just eight games left as Barcelona take on Atletico, PSV, Villarreal, Cultural Leonesa, Espanyol, Tottenham, Levante and Celta Vigo.