Ballon d'Or: Why Cristiano Ronaldo should beat Lionel Messi and Neymar

There is a case to be made for the Real Madrid man despite Lionel Messi being the overwhelming favourite

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57 goals in 57 appearances topped off with just 17 assists. Yes, 2015 was a bad year for Cristiano Ronaldo. In fact, when you have the record that the Real Madrid forward has, those phenomenal numbers are almost unforgivable.

The chances of the Portuguese picking up his third consecutive Ballon d’Or this evening are remote, as most onlookers and commentators concur that the man who was formerly the most expensive and explosive footballer of all time is on the wane.

Lionel Messi, his nemesis, is the overwhelming favourite with the bookmakers after a year when he led Barcelona to their second treble during his time at the club. The Argentinian will, almost certainly, take the award home this evening, the fifth of his career, and there will be no serious complaints against the decision.

Those questioning whether Ronaldo even deserves to be on the podium, however, should recognise the strong case for his presence and why there's even an argument for him to win.

Firstly, those numbers again. 57 goals in 57 appearances in 2015. That trumps Messi’s 51 goals in 61 appearances, although the Argentinian did notch 26 assists to Ronaldo’s 17. Neymar’s record of 42 goals in 57 games does not come close.

Where the case for Ronaldo falls apart, apparently, is in Madrid’s failure to win silverware during the calendar year. When Los Blancos’ bare trophy cabinet is compared to the trio of titles that Barcelona picked up, it’s easy to see why Messi’s the favourite for pole position, while Neymar may even take second-place.

However, it can be argued that the Ballon d’Or is awarded to individuals and judged, predominantly, on an individual basis. Barcelona’s achievements as a team should come secondary to each of the three nominees’ overall performance over the course of the year.

Messi and Neymar have the luxury of playing in a fully-functional side that has a claim to being the best of all time. Ronaldo does not.

The fractious atmosphere at Santiago Bernabeu, the fall-outs within the squad, the disjointed team and the constant pressure on the head coach are, it could be reasonably said, as much Ronaldo’s fault as anyone else’s, but they still affect his rate of goal-scoring and the quality of his performances, which nevertheless maintains at a remarkable level.

If he was missing something in 2015, it was a stand-out, memorable moment, unlike Messi’s incredible showing in the Champions League semi-finals against Bayern Munich, or Neymar’s stunning goal against Villarreal, which came during a period where he led Barcelona’s frontline in his Argentinian team-mate’s absence.

This award is not, however, judged on a single moment, nor should the lack of one count against any candidate. A player’s record should be judged for what it was, in cold hard figures, across the length of the year.

When you consider he is the oldest of the nominees, that he is in decline and yet still matching his peers, that should be enough to justify his place on the podium. It may be, after all, his last appearance.