Cristiano Ronaldo ended 2023 as the top scorer with 53 goals, the last time Cristiano scored 50 or more goals was in 2017, and guess what? Ronaldo won the ballon d’Or that year.
So now the question arises can Ronaldo win the most prestigious individual award the ballon d’Or and become the first player to win it for his performance outside of Europe? Let’s have a look at it.
Ronaldo has outscored Haaland, Mbappe and Kane in 2023
Cristiano has been flying ever since his move to Al Nassr. He has completed 53 goals in the calendar year and has scored 23 goals for Al Nassr in the 23/24 season.
Ronaldo is currently the top scorer in the Saudi Pro League with 19 goals from 17 games and he is also at the top of the assists charts with 9 assists. Ronaldo is also the top scorer for Portugal in the UEFA Euro qualifiers with 10 goals in 9 games.
The Portuguese superstar doesn’t want to stop here, he said to his fans through an Instagram post, “ There’s still room for a few more this year.”
Can Cristiano Ronaldo win the Ballon d’Or while playing in the Saudi Pro League?
Winning the Ballon d’Or while playing outside of Europe isn’t an easy task considering the level at which Football in Europe is played. Having said that there are no such rules that a player playing outside of Europe cannot win it.
Messi won his 8th Ballon d’Or while playing for Inter Miami although he won it for his performance with PSG and the Argentine national team. Neymar finished in the top 10 Ballon d’Or rankings in 2011 while playing for Santos in Brazil.
There has not been a player who has won the Ballon d’Or for his performances outside of Europe but if there’s anyone who can do it it’s probably Cristiano Ronaldo.
How Can Cristiano Ronaldo win the 2024 Ballon d’Or?
Now that we know that Ronaldo is eligible for the Ballon d’Or let us look at what kind of performance will he need both individually and collectively to be in contention for the Ballon d’Or.
AL Nassr:
Cristiano Ronaldo is currently the top scorer for Al Nassr this season with 23 goals and he also has 11 assists to his name. He is the Top scorer of the Saudi Pro League where his team is currently sitting 2nd.
For Cristiano Ronaldo to be in contention for the Ballon d’Or he will have to continue his goal-scoring form till the end of the season and he will have to guide his team to the Saudi Pro League title.
Along with the Saudi Pro League, Cristiano will also have to carry his team to their first-ever Asian Champions League title which is the Asian version of the UEFA Champions League. At the time of writing Al Nassr have topped their group and qualified for the knockout stages with Ronaldo scoring 3 goals in 4 games.
Al Nassr are also in the semi-finals of the Kings Cup and if they win it that will also add some credits to Ronaldo’s ballon d’Or hopes.
So to sum up Cristiano Ronaldo will have to win the treble with his Club or at least the league and the Champions League to be in contention for the ballon d’Or, but he will still have to do more with his Country.
Portugal:
The 17th Edition of the UEFA Euros will be played in 2024 and it will play a major role in deciding the winner of the 2024 ballon d’Or.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal have been in great form and were unbeaten in the qualifiers winning all 10 games and Ronaldo got himself 10 goals from 9 games.
Portugal are drawn in Group F with Turkey and Czech Republic. Portugal and Ronaldo will look to continue their form in the tournament and hope for a successful campaign.
If Ronaldo manages to lead Portugal to the Euro trophy along with Successfull season with the club then the door to the 2024 ballon d’Or will be wide open.
Conclusion
Winning the ballon d’Or outside of Europe might be a tough task but it surely isn’t impossible. If Ronaldo continues his goal-scoring form and leads his team to titles then he will surely be in contention for the coveted trophy.
But It will all come down to how Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo do at the 2024 Euros, a Successful campaign with the national team in Germany and Ronaldo will surely be present at the ballon d’Or Ceremony next year and might even win it for the 6th time making him the first player to win it for his performance outside of Europe.
