Lionel Messi Early Favorite to Win Back-to-Back Ballon d’Or Awards

• The 2020 Ballon d’Or will be up for grabs next fall despite the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
• Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have taken 11 of the last 12 awards, with Luka Modric winning the one standout trophy in 2018.
• Read below for odds, analysis and our pick for the award

Presently, football is at a complete stand still; but that will not stop the prestigious Ballon d’Or being handed out next fall. The French Football award has been around since 1956, awarding the best men’s footballer on the planet. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the heavy favorites once again for the award, having won it for the better part of the last decade.

Nevertheless, there are still some competitors like Premier League rivals Kevin de Bruyne and Sadio Mane, or Paris Saint-Germain standout Kylian Mbappe. With European competition delayed and international competitions being moved to next summer, it will take a huge portion of the judging out of the equation, making this year ever so unique. The 2020 Ballon d’Or odds are as follows.

2020 Ballon d’Or Odds

Odds taken on 4/10/2020

Will Messi Take Home His 7th Trophy?

Last season, Virgil van Dijk looked poised to be the first defender to take home the award since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006. Playing as the spine for a ruthless Liverpool team, the Dutchman helped them win the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and lead the team to a record amount of points in the Premier League. Nonetheless, Messi still brought home his sixth trophy, despite only winning another La Liga title.

The premise is that despite other players’ success, football writers who vote on the award generally believe it should go to Messi or Ronaldo as long as they are playing. This is something to consider when placing your bets, as it is unlikely to see an outsider win.

Could the Reward Come Back to England?

If the award does drift away from Messi or Ronaldo, expect de Bruyne or Mane to be on the receiving end of it. The last Premier Leaguer to win the award was Michael Owen in 2001 for Liverpool, but the Belgian and Senegalese internationals have had wonderful campaigns. Both spark creativity for two of the best teams of all time in the top-flight of English football.

https://twitter.com/CompsFooty/status/1245730212714872836?s=20

In all competitions, de Bruyne has nine goals and 20 assists, but will finish the season only with the League Cup as silverware. Sadio Mane, on the other hand, has 16 goals and eight assists but will finish with a UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup trophy, and Premier League trophy, should Liverpool be handed the title amid the Coronavirus delay.

Best Bet

The Ballon d’Or looked like it would finally leave the hands of football’s greatest talents the past two years. Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk were snubbed in back-to-back years. One was to Luka Modric, but it proves that the award is usually handed to a player for one of the world’s biggest clubs. De Bruyne is not even the favorite to win the PFA Player of the Year and Sadio Mane probably does not have the outright goal scoring numbers to win the award.

With this being said, expect Lionel Messi to bring home his seventh trophy. With +225 odds, the value of the bet is still good and historically speaking, it makes perfect sense.

My Pick: Lionel Messi (+225)