LIONEL MESSI has been robbed of his seventh Ballon d’Or, according to the stats.
The world-famous award ceremony was cancelled for the first time in its 64-year history after coronavirus swallowed a huge chunk of the 2019-20 season.
The top ten players in Europe’s Big Five leagues in 2019-20
And that’s bad news for Messi who was on course to pull further away from Cristiano Ronaldo with accolade No7.
According to match ratings from WhoScored, Messi was the top-performing player in all of Europe’s Big Five leagues by some margin.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, didn’t even crack the top three.
Check out the top ten would-be contenders for the 2020 Ballon d’Or…
1. LIONEL MESSI – 8.71
Lionel Messi was on course for his seventh Ballon d’Or say the statsCredit: EPA
THE Argentine wizard lead’s LaLiga in goals scored and assists this season.
On top of that, he broke Xavi’s single-season assist record and became the first player in league history to score 20 goals and lay on 20 assists in one campaign.
So there’s little wonder Messi was the runaway leader in the race for the Ballon d’Or this season…
2. KYLIAN MBAPPE – 8.14
Kylian Mbappe was in thr unning for the Ballon d’Or before it was cancelledCredit: AP:Associated Press
IN a shortened Ligue 1 season, Mbappe was once again the standout star.
The 2018 World Cup winner had a hand in 25 goals in just 20 league games this term.
A big-money move to Real Madrid was on the cards before coronavirus hit football clubs hard, financially.
3. ROBERT LEWANDOWKSI – 8.13
Robert Lewandowski was amongst the favourites to win the 2020 Ballon d’OrCredit: EPA
THE bookies’ favourite for the award as recently as last week, Lewandowski had a season to remember.
He won yet another Bundesliga title while scoring 34 times in just 31 matches.
Lewandowski has never won the Ballon d’Or and, unfortunately for him, may never have a better chance.
4. CRISTIANO RONALDO – 7.91
Cristiano Ronaldo ranks only fourth in the best ratings listCredit: Alamy Live News
HAVING won it five times already, Ronaldo was itching to make it No6 to draw level with Messi once again.
But according to the ratings, he’s good only for fourth, despite scoring 30 times in 30 Serie A games en route to helping Juventus win the title.
This season, Ronaldo also became the first player to score 30 goals in a single season in THREE of the Big Five leagues – after also doing so at Man Utd (Premier League) and Real Madrid (LaLiga).
5. KEVIN DE BRUYNE – 7.88
De Bruyne completes the top five best players in Europe this seasonCredit: Tom Jenkins
DESPITE Manchester City’s failure to put up a fight in the Premier League, De Bruyne has been exceptional as ever.
The Belgian ace is on track to break the Premier League assists record, just one away from Thierry Henry’s tally of 20.
De Bruyne still has a job to do though, with the second-leg of his side’s Champions League last-16 clash with real Madrid on the horizon.
6. ANGEL DI MARIA – 7.75
Angel Di Maria continues to play at a high level for PSGCredit: AFP or licensors
WITH 14 assists this term, the former Manchester United flop is proving he’s still got what it takes to play at an elite level.
With an average rating of 7.75 per game it wouldn’t have been out of place for the PSG star to have been in the conversation for the Ballon d’Or.
7. DIMITRI PAYET – 7.73
Dimitri Payet has enjoyed a fine season at MarseilleCredit: AP:Associated Press
Now aged 33, Payet is still lighting up European football with a string of scintillating performances.
The French former West Ham ace scored nine times and added four assists in just 22 Ligue 1 games this season.
8. JOSIP ILICIC – 7.65
Ilicic has been in electric form for high-flying AtalantaCredit: Getty Images – Getty
WITH 15 goals and eight assists in just 26 games, the No10 has been on fire this season.
Ilicic has been a huge factor in Atalanta’s meteoric rise in the past few years – with the Italians still in the running for the Champions League.
9. JADON SANCHO – 7.64
Jadon Sancho is one of Europe’s most sought-after starsCredit: Getty Images – Getty
WITH 17 goals and 16 assists in the Bundesliga this season, there’s little wonder why so many clubs are chasing the England satr.
With an average match rating of 7.64 this season, he’ll surely be in the running for the Ballon d’Or one day.
10. TIMO WERNER – 7.6
Timo Werner joins Chelsea on the back of a superb season in the BundesligaCredit: EPA
THE German is on his way to Chelsea this summer – nad it’s easy to see why the Blues wanted him.
Werner scored 28 goals and added eight assists in 34 matches in 2019-20, earning the tenth-highest average rating.
TOP 20 PLAYERS IN EUROPE: 11-20
11. Alejandro Gomez (Atalanta) – 7.58
12. Luis Alberto (Lazio) – 7.56
13. Adama Traore (Wolves) – 7.53
14. Duvan Zapata (Atalanta) – 7.52
15. Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich) – 7.52
16. Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund) – 7.5
17. Ricardo Pereira (Leicester) – 7.5
18. Riyad Mahrez (Man City) – 7.5
19. Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich) – 7.49
20. Paulo Dybala (Juventus) – 7.48
Ballon d’Or 2020 AXED for first time in 64 years due to coronavirus in blow to favourite Robert Lewandowski
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
