It is an opportunity to make one of his generation’s great achievers very, very happy. The recent film detailing Cristiano Ronaldo’s unique existence may have been the movie equivalent of vanity publishing, but it also revealed his obsession with the Ballon d’Or. He may have won it three times, but repetition has not dulled the sense of ambition.
The case against him was outlined in preposterous fashion in the summer by Jose Mourinho when he claimed that Eden Hazard performed better than Ronaldo last season because he won more silverware. It was a nonsensical argument – John Obi Mikel also won more trophies than Ronaldo last season – because it ignored the purpose of individual awards: to reward individual excellence. That is often in a winning cause, but not necessarily.
Photo gallery: Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo makes his case for 2015 Ballon d'Or award
And by any definition, Ronaldo has enjoyed an extraordinary 2015. Indeed, his achievements highlight both his excellence over 12 months and over a career. This has been a year when he has rewritten the history books. In September, he supplanted Raul as both Real Madrid’s record scorer in the Primera Liga and in all competitions. He did so with a goal-per-game ratio that was more than twice as good as the Spaniard’s.
Madrid, the 10-time champions of Europe, are the most successful club side ever. Ronaldo is their greatest goalscorer. The Uefa Champions League is the most prestigious club competition in world football. Ronaldo is its record scorer, too.
And yet, while one who began as an erratic winger also brought up 500 career goals for club and country in September, this is not simply a case for a lifetime achievement award disguised as a reflection of his efforts in 2015. He has reached new heights. Last season, yielding 61 club goals, was his most prolific yet.
“I did probably the best season of my career, which is good, and I was the highest scorer in Europe,” he said last month. In a different way, he is again: the current campaign has already produced 11 goals in the Champions League group stages. It is another record.
Read about the other Ballon d’Or award candidates:
Xavi says Barcelona’s Lionel Messi is ‘greatest player ever’ and deserves Ballon d’Or award
Neymar’s emphasis on the Barcelona collective sets him apart for Ballon d’Or award
Ronaldo’s preening self-regard can alienate and brings a contrast with his seemingly more modest antithesis Lionel Messi and can mean it seems all about him. But in a way it is.
Extraordinary as Madrid’s purchasing power is, their team is worse than Barcelona’s. Gifted as Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez and Karim Benzema are, they are overshadowed as Barcelona possess possibly the greatest forward line any club has ever assembled.
The fact that Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez scored 122 goals between them last season is astonishing. It also means each shouldered a lesser burden than Ronaldo. Barcelona were able to navigate eight weeks without the injured Messi in autumn. Suarez and Messi compensated by scoring at remarkable rates.
Madrid are more reliant on Ronaldo. He may be selfish and single-minded, but in his egotistical way, he realises he represents their best hope. He has spent six-and-a-half seasons trying to combat perhaps the finest club team ever in the only way he knows how, by amassing vast numbers of goals.
Everything at Madrid comes with a backdrop of instability, where decisions made for the wrong reasons backfire. Nothing stops Ronaldo from finding the net. It is why he is their phenomenon.
He acknowledged last month that such awards are a popularity contest. It is one he will probably lose. “It is about votes,” he said.
It is about personal preferences whereas Ronaldo’s greatness, which was once advertised stylistically with a blur of stepovers, is now apparent in the facts. The numbers show what an incredible year he has had, and what an astounding career his has been. Unlike Messi and Neymar, his rivals on the Ballon d’Or shortlist, he does not have a treble to show for his efforts. Yet that should not deprive him of the chance to be crowned the world’s best player for a fourth time.
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