Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid
Cristiano Ronaldo is favourite to win the prestigious Ballon d'Or Reuters

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo is held by pundits and fans to be the frontrunner in bagging the prized FIFA Ballon d'Or trophy on January 13 in Zurich.

Brazilian legend, Pele, was quoted telling Spanish local newspaper AS that "the principal award will go to Ronaldo."

The Portuguese star did not win anything at the Bernabeu during the 2012/13 season, but his individual records are unrivalled.

Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery is believed to come in second after enjoying a treble-winning season with the Bavarians.

The Frenchman was instrumental in helping the Bundesliga giants regain world-class status. However, some commentators say that Ribery benefitted largely from a team that had highly-rated superstars and absent such, he would not have had a wonderful year.

Meanwhile, Barcelona standout Lionel Messi seems to be the underdog this year after winning the award four years in a row, from 2010 to 2013.

The Argentinean suffered an injury laden season last year that hindered him from displaying his full potential.

Ronaldo is certainly leading the polls, but it remains to be seen whether he goes him a happy man.

Free Livestream Coverage: Click Here