CR7 was MIA!

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi is apparently set to pick up his record-sixth Ballon d'Or award but some fans on social media are not having any of it. The frustrations of these lot are motivated by the fact that, Cristiano Ronaldo - who declined the invitation to attend Monday's ceremony in Paris - missed out on winning the honor from France Football despite having a better year that the previous winner Luka Modric.

The buildup to this year's event saw Lionel Messi being touted as the favorite for the award after his remarkable individual performance in the calendar year earned him the 2019 Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year back in September.

Despite failing to win the Copa America with Argentina in Brazil this summer, the 32-year-old striker's success with Barcelona in La Liga and Supercopa, coupled with him finishing last season as the top scorer in Europe, resultantly attracted the honor. In 58 games for both club and country, the Barca skipper scored 54 goals, 12 coming in the UEFA Champions League and just one being registered in his continental campaign with Albiceleste.

As it was the case in the 2017/2018 season, Cristiano Ronaldo managed 54 goals in 55 matches, scoring 15 in the UEFA Champions League and exiting the 2018 FIFA World Cup with four goals. The honors accrued by the former Real Madrid superstar included the UEFA Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the Supercopa de Espana. This year, the 34-year-old forward won the Scudetto with Juventus and secured the maiden edition of the UEFA Nations League with Portugal.

In contrast, a number of fans believe that Lionel Messi's failures in last season's Champions League as well as the Copa America should not merit him the Ballon d'Or as his arch-nemesis was overlooked the last time out despite having a successful year than the eventual winner Luka Modric.