Will Cristiano Ronaldo Win the Ballon d’Or?

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo jumped for the ball against Jeremy Mendez of AC Milan (pictured above): the match in question is yesterday’s Dubai Football Challenge, which Milan won 4-2, giving Madrid their first loss since September.

Despite this loss, Ronaldo has been making headlines, with many wondering will he win the coveted FIFA Ballon d’Or: which is awarded to the best footballer/soccer player of the year. In other words, it is FIFA’s highest prize with it being similar to MVP honors.

Now, the FIFA Ballon d’Or has only been in existence since 2010 — after France and FIFA merged their highest honors — and Lionel Messi won it from 2010-2012, with Ronaldo finally winning last year.

Just a few days ago, Ronaldo received the Globe Soccer Player of the Year award at the Dubai Football Gala: this would be his second in the last four years. And he hopes to carry this momentum into FIFA’s award ceremony in Zurich on January 12, 2015: the other two players nominated are the aforementioned Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer.

After a spectacular season, Ronaldo is seen as the clear favorite: he shattered the record for fastest to 200 goals in La Liga history (178 games) — and even set a record for most La Liga hat tricks with 23.

Be sure to tune back in to find out who wins the Ballon d’Or in January.