Ballond d'Or 2015 Announcement Date Nears And Almost Everyone Already Know Who Will Win

Ballon d'Or 2015 announcement is just around the corner and football fans have already cast their votes.

The annual football awards night will take place in just one week and the top three nominees are Lionel Messi and Neymar of Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo of their arch-rival Real Madrid.

If competition in the last editions were close, the battle for the Ballon d'Or 2015 trophy is the opposite. Retired and active footballers have only one guess - Messi will get his fifth.

"He has a great chance of regaining the Ballon d'Or, for what he is as a player and for what he does," the Argentine football star's teammate Andres Iniesta told BarcaTV.

Another Barca teammate predicts Messi will win the award by a huge mile. Dani Alves said that aside from the goals, Messi helps the team by just his presence.

"I see Messi winning his fifth Golden Ball - and with a big advantage," the Brazilian said.

"He is far ahead of everyone, particularly in the influence he has on the team. The best players in the world do not have to be individualistic. Our team was strong before Messi's injury but he has come back and proven to be competitive far beyond the other players on the pitch."

Ronaldo is hardly in the conversation about Ballon d'Or 2015 winner and he even recognizes that he has a slim chance of getting his fourth trophy.

"To be honest I think Messi is going to win this year because this kind of trophy, it depends on votes," he said during an appearance at The Jonathan Ross show. "You win competitions, you win the league in terms of individual."

While Ronaldo himself has doubts, his fellow Madridista and Portugal football legend Luis Figo believes the forward can beat Messi despite the disparity in voting from the public.

"They are three magnificent players," the 2000 Ballon d'Or winner told Spanish news agency Efe. "If the logic about how trophies go to winning teams prevails, the trophy will be for a Barcelona player. But if those who vote single out individual numbers, such as goals scored, Ronaldo could win."

Ballon d'Or 2015 winner announcement is on Jan. 11. Check nominees' stats here for better comparison.