Cristiano Ronaldo is poised to win his fourth Ballon d'Or and his crowning of the award might not even have to wait until January. In fact, that might become a mere formality after August 25.

On that day, Ronaldo will likely win the Best Player in Europe Award. But will he be a shoe-in for that award?

Why Griezmann is out

His biggest competitor is none other than Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann. The Frenchman of course lost to Ronaldo in both finals he contested with the Portuguese superstar and it would be likely that France's top player, he of the six goals in the Euro Championship this summer, might be the front-runner to win the Ballon d'Or in January.

But Griezmann, despite his exquisite form for club and country, failed in each final. He missed a penalty in the Champions League final as well as a couple of major scoring chances that would have given his country the title.

Why Bale is not a winner

Gareth Bale is more of an afterthought at this point, failing to score a single goal in the Champions league (though he did create the goals in the semifinal and final). He was also huge for Wales in the Euro but lost to Ronaldo in the semifinal.

Why Ronaldo is the favorite

Ronaldo did not score nearly as many goals as Griezmann in the Euro 2016, but each of his three goals was key to Portugal's run. He scored two goals with his team down against Hungary, tying the score each time and thus solidifying the round of 16 berth. His final goal of the tournament was a towering header to win the game against Wales in the semifinal.

He then created three other goals, all of varying importance. His first assist launched Portugal's comeback against Hungary, his second led to the winner over Croatia and the third consolidated a 2-0 lead over Wales.

In the Champions League, he scored 16 goals leading all players. And contrary to popular belief, he scored key goals against Roma in the round of 16 before taking down Wolfsburg singlehandedly. He also scored the winning penalty.