Cristiano Ronaldo winning the 2019 Ballon d’Or would be illogical, says the Portuguese’s former Real Madrid team-mate Iker Casillas, with others considered to be more deserving than the Juventus star.
A five-time Golden Ball winner is back in contention to add a sixth to his collection.
He has been named on the 30-man shortlist of candidates for the most prestigious of prizes.
Ronaldo is, however, set to face fierce competition from the likes of eternal rival Lionel Messi and the in-form Virgil van Dijk.
Barcelona’s talismanic forward recently collected the FIFA Best award, while a commanding centre-half at Liverpool landed the UEFA Player of the Year gong.
They are considered to be the frontrunners for the Ballon d’Or, with Ronaldo having to sit down the pecking order.
That is an opinion shared by Real Madrid legend Casillas, with the ex-Spain international seeing no reason the Argentine and Dutch stars would be overlooked in favour of a player who has not been as impressive since linking up with Juve as he has been in the past.
The World Cup winner posted in a message on social media: “Van Dijk was chosen as UEFA's best player; Messi was chosen by FIFA; if Cristiano wins the Ballon d'Or, it would seem to me that the guidelines we use in football to determine who wins its biggest individual awards are not logical.”
Van Dijk, who topped the Goal 50 for 2019, has made no secret of his desire to land the Ballon d’Or.
He continues to place greater emphasis on collective honours at Liverpool than individual ones, but would like to see defenders recognised when it comes to picking out the finest players on the planet.
Luka Modric broke the monopoly of Ronaldo and Messi 12 months ago, with the Real Madrid midfielder showing that others can take top spot.
Van Dijk has the support of many when it comes to continuing that trend, with former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murpohy among those to have talked up his claims.
He told talkSPORT: “For me, the winner is obvious: Virgil van Dijk.
“I believe that because of the massive impact he’s had on Liverpool Football Club.
“Obviously, you’re dealing with the best players in the world and when you look at Lionel Messi’s goalscoring record, if he did win it over Van Dijk, you would have to understand why.
“But his form didn’t help Barcelona win the Champions League. Usually (nine out of the last 12 years) the winner of the Ballon d’Or comes from the winner of the Champions League. The criteria is there and I don’t see why that should change.
“In terms of a defender winning it, there are some people who would say it’s easier to destroy than create and I understand that philosophy. But when you look at the impact on others and the way he gets others to perform around him, that’s a wonderful quality.”
