Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Manuel Neuer.

In just a few days time, their fates as Ballon d'Or candidates will be determined. And then in 365 days, the world will be looking at another three candidates, possibly two of the same trio vying for that same award.

Of course, many have wondered whether decline is imminent for both superstars due to injury woes, overuse and, in the case of Messi, a declining team. So the big question is, Will Ronaldo and Messi still be favorites to lift the Ballon d'Or in 2016?

The big rivals have been in the running for the award since 2007, when Ronaldo finished second and Messi finished third. Since then, the two have won a combined six straight awards and could be primed to win the seventh between them. Messi, of course, won four straight while Ronaldo has won the bookends of that run in 2008 and 2013. A win in 2014 would be Ronaldo's second straight for the first time ever.

At age 30, most people would expect Ronaldo to slow down. But at 29, he is playing arguably his best attacking soccer, and the man is known for taking extreme care of his body. If that is the case, he could wind up like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and play well into his prime at the age of 32 or even 33. And the stats show Ronaldo is not in any sort of current decline.

Here are some goal-scoring numbers to feast on. In 2011, Ronaldo put up 60 goals in the entire calendar year. A year later, he hit 66 into the net. Then, in 2013, he hit his highest mark to date with 69, and in this past year, he put up 61 goals.

Those numbers do not show any signs of decline, even if there was a drop off from 2013 to 2014. However, Ronaldo suffered with injuries at times in 2014 and still remained in peak scoring form to end and start the year. At his current pace, he could score well over 50 goals in Spain's league and possibly even blow Messi's 73 goals in the 2011-12 season out of the park depending on how his team fares in other competitions. And for those wondering just how good Ronaldo's goal scoring has been in comparison with his rival, just consider that while Messi holds the record for most goals in a year with 91 in 2012, none of his other annual tallies are in the top nine of most goals scored in a year. Ronaldo has four entries.

So, obviously, Ronaldo scoring more goals and winning trophies with a tremendously good Real Madrid squad could be a huge boon to his Ballon d'Or chances in 2015.

Messi's situation is a bit more complicated. He scored almost as many goals as Ronaldo, and if one factors in the disparity of penalty kick goals between the two, one could argue Messi actually had more tallies from the run of play. But the difference between Ronaldo and Messi in 2014 came down to trophies. Messi came close to lifting the big one in Brazil but faltered, and in losing it, lost all hope of a team accolade in the calendar year.

And based on how things look at the moment, another accolade in 2015 with Barcelona is highly uncertain. Despite a 5-0 win over Elche at home in the Copa del Rey, Barcelona has not looked like a contender for much else. Manchester City will be a tough challenge in the Champions League. Atletico Madrid likely beckons in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey. The team is a point behind Real Madrid with more games played in Spain.

Of course, Messi could redeem himself this summer in Chile with his Argentine national side. Based on their performance in Brazil last summer, Argentina should be a favorite to win the smaller and arguably less competitive tournament. And if he wins it, Messi will have a trophy Ronaldo had no chance at obtaining.

Of course when it comes to both of these, goals are of the essence, and Messi might have the slightest of edges in that department at the current moment. He has 15 goals in his last 13, while Ronaldo has 13 goals in his last 11. It should be interesting to see how these two continue throughout 2015 and whether one pulls ahead of the other.

Or whether or not these two actually run out of gas and see other players overtake them as the best in the world. That is not out of the realm of possibility based on their two performances to start 2015 (Ronaldo has one penalty goal in two games, while Messi has one penalty goal in two games).

Will Ronaldo and Messi be up for the Ballon d'Or this time next year?