Could Cristiano Ronaldo win the UEFA Best Player in Europe award this season?
Despite his tremendous play over the years, the Portuguese superstar has been repeatedly minimized in the presence of Lionel Messi. However, this might be the year he finally gets his due recognition.
Messi continued to dominate the scoring charts throughout 2012-13 season and posted a whopping 46 goals in 32 Spanish league matches. Ronaldo only scored 34 in 34 games, but helped his squad top Barcelona in three of five matches last season; Ronaldo scored five goals in those games.
Obviously, this is the award for best player in Europe and that must be factored into the equation. Ronaldo's statistics don't supersede Messi's in the Spanish league or overall, but Ronaldo had a sharp edge in the biggest competition of the year: the Champions League. Ronaldo scored 12 goals in the competition (best among all players) while Messi finished his Champions League run with eight. Ronaldo also defeated Messi in the Copa del Rey and finished with nine goals to Messi's six in such competitions as the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup.
Ronaldo also scored more hat tricks than his counterpart, finishing the 2012-13 season with five to Messi's two.
Franck Ribery, the third contestant in the battle, does not have the numbers that Messi and Ronaldo have, but he was a member of the proficient Bayern Munich side that won a rare treble last season. Many think he could turn out a surprise win, but the potency of his two competitors may be too much for voters to ignore.
Ultimately, this could be a numbers game, and Ronaldo, while unimpressive in the late part of 2012, has been tremendous in 2013 with 32 goals for Real Madrid and two for Portugal in the calendar year. This tremendous play at the end of the season could be the difference in deciding Ronaldo's fate as the top player in Europe.