Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi snubbed from 2020 Ballon d'Or race by Robin van Persie

For the past 12 years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated world football with an astonishing 11 Ballon d'Ors between them. That's 11 in 12 years with only Luka Modric being able to break the chain thanks to his run to the World Cup final along with a Champions League win with Real Madrid. While Ballon d'Or 2020 is expected to a fierce race with no clear favourite as of now, former Dutch international Robin van Persie thinks neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo will be in the race to win football's top individual prize this year.

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Race for Ballon d'Or 2020: No Ronaldo, no Messi?

Replying to a tweet from BT Sport, Robin van Persie named his three frontrunners for the Ballon d'Or 2020 based on the season so far. As mentioned, the former Manchester United striker snubbed both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo from his top three, instead choosing to name Robert Lewandowski, Kevin De Bruyne and Sadio Mane as his current frontrunners for the prize. 

Like Robin van Persie, most fans have Bayern Munich hitman Robert Lewandowski as the frontrunner for the 2020 award. The Polish striker has been on fire since football resumed in Europe last month. He has already scored 12 goals in 10 games, helping his side to a record-extending eighth consecutive Bundesliga title. The 31-year-old has already scored 51 goals in all competitions this season, with a major portion of the Champions League still left to play. 

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Kevin De Bruyne has widely been regarded as one of the best midfielders in world football today. The Belgian has been instrumental for Pep Guardiola's side and has 13 goals and 21 assists to his name this campaign. While Man City have surrendered the Premier League title to Liverpool, the deposed Premier League champions are still alive in the FA Cup and Champions League, having already secured the League Cup.

Robin van Persie's third pick, Sadio Mane, has been the key player for Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool. Sadio Mane has been more crucial for the Reds alongside Mohamed Salah. The Senegalese wide man has scored 20 goals in all competitions with another 12 assists to his name. The former Southampton winger has helped Liverpool in the quest for their Premier League title while also winning the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup this season. 

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Despite being on the wrong side of 30, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have still maintained their supreme run of form and cannot be ruled out from the race for the Ballon d'Or this year. Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 26 goals in 27 league matches for Juventus, who are cruising towards yet another Scudetto. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi has 27 goals and 24 assists to his name in all competitions. Barcelona are still alive in the LaLiga race, although they are a point behind Real Madrid, who have a game in hand.

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(Image Credits: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robin van Persie Instagram Handles)