Iker Casillas Questions 'Logic' of Possible Cristiano Ronaldo Ballon d'Or Win

Iconic goalkeeper Iker Casillas believes it would be illogical if his former Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or later this year ahead of either Barcelona forward Lionel Messi or Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk. 

Ronaldo, Messi and Van Dijk were all shortlisted for FIFA's The Best Men's Player prize earlier in the campaign, with Messi named the winner.

All three players have been confirmed as finalists for France Football's Ballon d'Or prize later in the year, as well as 27 more of the world's best players. On Twitter, Casillas, who is now at Porto, said the Juventus forward doesn't deserve to win ahead of the Liverpool or Barcelona stars:

"Van Dijk was the best player for UEFA, Messi was the best for FIFA," said Casillas, per Toby Miles of the MailOnline. "Imagine if Cristiano wins the Ballon d'Or? It would seem to me that the guidelines we follow in football to give prizes do not have much logic."

Ronaldo has enjoyed another superb year. He was a Serie A winner in his first season with Juventus. The Portuguese made a surprise transfer from Real Madrid to the Italian giants in the summer of 2018 and scored 21 goals in the Italian top flight in 2018-19.

While Juventus were eventually knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Ajax in the quarter-finals last season, Ronaldo did enjoy some highlights in the competition for the Bianconeri, including this hat-trick to eliminate Atletico Madrid:

Ronaldo has also been in the headlines again recently due to his stellar performances for Portugal. On Thursday, he grabbed a hat-trick against Lithuania, and he netted again on Sunday in the 2-0 win over Luxembourg.

Per B/R Football, this has been Ronaldo's most productive year for the Selecao:

However, Messi and Van Dijk both enjoyed stellar campaigns too, steering their teams to La Liga and Champions League glory respectively.

Messi was at the forefront of Barcelona's dominance of Spanish football, with 36 goals and 13 assists in the 2018-19 La Liga campaign. As for Van Dik, he was a transformative influence on the Liverpool side, with his colossal defensive presence helping them become one of the best sides in Europe.

B/R's Dean Jones doesn't think Ronaldo should be a serious contender for the prize this season:

While he moved to a new country and performed well in a new league, by his own high standards last term wasn't one of the best of Ronaldo's distinguished career. As a result, it would be a shock if he did clinch the individual prize at the end of the year.

After a slow start to this season for Juventus, the 34-year-old will hope his recent goalscoring success for Portugal will kickstart his 2019-20 term and ensure he's in the conversation for accolades in 2020.