For what is now longer than a decade, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the Ballon d'Or. Winning 11 times of the last 12 votes (with the 2020s being cancelled due to the pandemic, but we'll get back to that in a second) it is safe to say that these two players have been in a tier of their own for most of the 21st Century.
Since Ronaldo won in 2008 for his exploits with Manchester United, only one player has been able to break the dynamic duos monopoly.
The fact that Wesley Sneider was robbed in 2010 aside, (how can you be a major part of your team winning a treble and come 3rd in a world cup and not win it) it seemed certain that if you were to look at the Ballon d'Or voting any time in the past 10 years, Ronaldo and Messi would take up two of the top three slots.
However, as age has caught up with both players and they move towards the twilight of their careers, their stranglehold on the award has begun to slip.
Back in 2018, the first new winner of the Ballon d'Or since 2008 was announced, Luka Modric was awarded the accolade for overall being one of the most likeable players in a three in a row Champions League winning side and also coming third in a World Cup.
Honestly, I was bored of Ronaldo and Messi keeping winning it but it was a weird call, but if the award was given out in 2020, it would have most certainly been given to a highly deserving Robert Lewandowski, who had shattered records with his goalscoring accolades and secured a Champions League.
Now it's 2021 and for the first time, the award seems more open than ever. The three current favourites are Lewandowski, Messi and strangely enough Jorginho (but that's a whole different argument about how it's meant to be an individual award but it's so heavily weighted on team success).
However as this season has kicked off there is more of a media push towards Karim Benzema winning the award, and also Liverpool's Mohammed Salah.
But do you see how when I went through the front runners, I didn't mention Ronaldo once and I can tell how strange that is making you all feel reading it?
Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes have been named on the 30-man shortlist for United, but they have been considered longshots.
A Ballon d'Or top five, which doesn't include five-time winner Ronaldo is unheard of and I think that the player will look to prove that he is still up there with the very best at the age of 36.
Now it is an uphill battle of course. Ronaldo is way behind in the bookies voting and he has no trophies available to him to prop up his case for winning it.
But what Ronaldo can do which United fans will appreciate and will also benefit the team massively, is make Salah look ordinary by comparison to him.
Ronaldo is a goalscorer of outstanding talent and has been in good form since he returned to United, scoring six goals in eight games for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but Sunday provides him with a truly big game and in the past, he shows that he lives up to the occasion.
Liverpool has been in great form (thanks to Salah) and United will need to be at their best in order to overcome a fixture that has become a struggle for them in recent years.
But Ronaldo will need to not stop at Liverpool, the next few weeks sees United play Liverpool, but then Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Arsenal in the league, but also Atalanta and Villareal again in the UEFA Champions League.
A good run of goalscoring which we know Ronaldo is capable of, and come the time to vote for the Balon d'Or, it will put him firmly in the mind of voters. His exploits will have taken the shine off of Salah enough to stop him from being named this years winner over the other favourites.
Who do you think should win the Ballon d'Or this year and do you think Ronaldo or Bruno has a chance? Follow our United On My Mind writer Casey Evans on Twitter to get involved in the discussion in the comment section below.
