Messi's odds shorten in Ballon d'Or race as Ronaldo struggles to keep pace

The chances of Lionel Messi claiming a sixth Ballon d'Or have become a lot more attractive as he closes the gap on current favourite Virgil van Dijk.

Messi's odds of winning the award have come down from $3.25 to $2.75 with Sportsbet over the past week in the wake of the Barcelona legend scoring twice for Argentina over the international break. 

Van Dijk meanwhile, has seen his price increase slightly to $1.50 but he remains the overwhelming favourite. 

As it stands, the 2019 battle for the Ballon d'Or is now very much a two-horse race with Cristiano Ronaldo's odds now pushed out to $13. 

According to Nicerodds, odds shown in the UK form suggest that Van Dijk leads the race by a small advantage.

Van Dijk  1/2

Messi  2/1

Ronaldo  8/1

Mane 25/1

Sterling 66/1