The Ballon d'Or voting is only a few months away and there are already some major frontrunners to land the award.

Here are the top favorites to win it all:

Cristiano Ronaldo

The reigning Ballon d'Or winner is probably the most likely man to repeat and claim his third ever trophy. He started off 2014 slowly but eventually picked up his game to lead Madrid to the Champions League title. He scored a whopping eight goals in the Champions League knockout rounds, setting the record for most goals ever scored in the Champions League in a season with 17.

He has continued that scintillating club form with 17 goals for Real Madrid in the first 11 appearances. Thirteen of those goals have come in six Spanish League titles, including three hat tricks and even a four-goal performance. To state that Ronaldo's goal-scoring pace has been legendary is a massive understatement. Every time the ball is on his feet, he is almost a lock to score a goal.

A year ago, Ronaldo's blistering goal scoring also helped him claim the Ballon d'Or. And he is scoring at a better rate this season! And while nursing a troubling injury! If he continues this form, there should be no reason why he does not win.

However, some might claim that he failed to put together a World Cup campaign worthy of a true best player of the year award. As legendary as his performance for Madrid has been, his performance in the world's biggest tournament was nothing short of embarrassing. He got an assist against the United States in the dying seconds of the game and then put together a terrific performance against Ghana. Unfortunately, his tournament had already been plagued by a woeful 4-0 loss against Germany in the opener.

He recently scored a huge goal for Portugal against Denmark in a qualifier, but many might question his international form and it could ultimately cost him his Ballon d'Or.

He also won the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, and no player since Messi in 2010-11 has captured that trophy and the Ballon d'Or successively.

Moreover, Ronaldo's epic goal scoring is not even close to the heights of last season. In 2013 he put together a monstrous 69 goals for club and country in 60 matches. It was 23 more than his great rival Lionel Messi.

This year, Ronaldo has 45 goals in 44 matches for club and country. There is still a lot of time left for him to score goals, but it is unlikely that he puts up another 23 goals in the next two months. Moreover, Messi has 41 goals this year. Speaking of which...

Lionel Messi

He won four Ballon d'Or trophies in a row and he could easily land another one this year. Messi is not grabbing headlines the way Ronaldo is, but he has redefined his game this season for Barcelona by turning into a playmaker. He has an impressive seven goals and seven assists this season for his club and has a total of 41 goals and 19 assists in 51 appearances for club and country. It is not as impressive as Ronaldo's 45 goals and 12 assists, but it is not that far off.

Unlike Ronaldo, Messi led his nation to the World Cup final. He won the Golden Ball under questionable circumstances, but his four goals (all in the group stage) helped Argentina get out of the group stage and build momentum toward its deep run. That alone could give him the leg up on Ronaldo.

Other Contenders

Thomas Muller could get a chance to win after a successful season with Bayern Munich and a tremendous World Cup with five goals. In most circles, he should have claimed the Golden Ball after being the catalyst that led Germany to the title. He actually had more titles in 2014 than either Messi or Ronaldo. 

The other major contender is Angel Di Maria, who dominated for Real Madrid in the Champions League final and was also a major part of Argentina's World Cup run. More importantly, he has been the best player in the Premier League since arriving in Manchester and that alone could vault him into the top three. He has three goals and three assists for the English side thus far and has single-handedly altered its fortunes. Ronaldo may have helped Madrid get out of its early season rut, but Di Maria has transformed the mindset at the Old Trafford. That makes him an MVP and arguably proves his worth as the best in the world. 

Manuel Neuer was a finalist for the UEFA Best Player in Europe award, as was Arjen Robben. The Dutchman was terrific for Bayern Munich and was arguably the best player in the World Cup this past summer. He could wind up being among the top three.

Who do you think are the front runners to win the Ballon d'Or?

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