Six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi is now the red hot favourite to scoop the prestigious award for a record seventh time - which would put him two ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi or Ronaldo? That is the question that has dominated football since they stamped their authority on the game nearly two decades ago - but now that great debate could very well be put to bed.
Despite failing to secure the La Liga title with Barcelona last season, Messi was in scintillating form, scoring an impressive 30 times and finishing as the top scorer ahead of Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema.
For all Messi has done in his career, the 34-year-old was still without any honours with his national team, having lost in seven previous finals - a stat that many used against him when comparing to Ronaldo.
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But that drought ended on Sunday as Messi finally ended his wait for an international trophy as Argentina beat Brazil 1-0 in the Copa America final.
As a result of a sizzling campaign for both club and country, the Argentine - already one of the greatest to ever play the beautiful game - is now the odds-on favourite to win his seventh Ballon d'Or.
The Ballon d'Or is one of the oldest and generally regarded as the most prestigious individual award for football players, having been awarded to the very best in the sport since 1956.
Messi's closest challenger to be pipped for the award is Bayern Munich and Poland centre-forward Robert Lewandowski.
Lewandowski, who is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the world, looked certain to win the 2020 Ballon d'Or award after netting an incredible 55 goals and winning the Champions League title.
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But the Ballon d'Or ceremony was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. How's your luck?
However, having set a new Bundesliga single-season goals record last season - he's now an attractive 6/1 chance to scoop the top prize. He couldn't, could he?
Some of the greats to have won it in the past include Juventus forward and five-timer winner Ronaldo, the late Johann Cruyff and the youngest ever winner in Ronaldo, who won aged 20 in 1996.
With this year's Ballon d'Or right around the corner, we take a look at how this year's nominees stack up in the betting.
Ballon d'Or betting odds
- Lionel Messi - 2/5
- Robert Lewandowski - 6/1
- Cristiano Ronaldo - 8/1
- Harry Kane - 9/1
- N'Golo Kante - 16/1
- Raheem Sterling - 16/1
- Kevin De Bruyne - 16/1
- Jorginho - 14/1
- Neymar - 25/1
- Kylian Mbappe - 25/1
- Ciro Immobile - 33/1
Odds are correct at the time of publication and are, as always, subject to change.
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