Ribéry is the bookies' favourite, but Cristiano Ronaldo rules on the playing field. With Messi almost ruled out of the race due to his inconsistent displays over the last few months and the fact that he is now sidelined through injury, the Frenchman and the Portuguese are the two clear favourites for the 2013 Ballon d'Or.
For the first time, this year's FIFA Ballon d'Or award will see five finalists from the 23 selected players. Messi, Ronaldo, Ribéry and Ibrahimovic seem to be safe bets. The fifth place is up for grabs, with Neymar, Robben and Lewandowski all in with a good shout.
The managers and captains of the federations affiliated to FIFA, along with the correspondents of 'France Football', must hand in their votes by 15th November, meaning that the playoffs to reach the World Cup and the Club World Cup will not influence the decision.
The FIFA Ballon d'Or is an individual and not a collective award. No other player in 2013 has matched Ronaldo in terms of performance and statistics: 53 games (46 for Real Madrid and 7 for Portugal) and 62 goals (56 for Real and 6 for his country). His main challenger for the award, Ribéry, has played 47 games and scored 20 goals, while Messi has notched up 45 goals in 47 games.
Although Ribéry has won the Champions League, Bundesliga, German Cup and European Super Cup, club trophies have not been historically decisive. In 2010, Messi won the award ahead of Iniesta and Xavi when the three had all won the same number of trophies with Barcelona, and the two Spaniards achieved World Cup winners’ medals, unlike the Argentine.
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