Ronaldo is red-hot, He deseves to win the Ballon D'or.

It is hard to dispute the fact Ronaldo is one of the best—if not the best—player in the world right now. The Portuguese forward is currently enjoying the greatest form of his career and his display in his country's 4-2 victory over Sweden on Tuesday epitomized this.

2013 has been an exceptional year for the 28-year-old and, as far as I’m concerned, he is the leading contender for the FIFA Ballon d’Or award.

His hat-trick in Stockholm guaranteed Portugal’s qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, whilst taking his personal goal tally to 66 goals in 55 matches for both club and country.

In a match billed as a monumental battle between the Portuguese captain and Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ronaldo took all the plaudits.

With Portugal leading 1-0 from the first leg in Lisbon, the Swedes dominated first-half possession but created little before Ronaldo tore them apart in the second half, getting in behind the defence to score three times.

Although Ronaldo ended last season trophy-less, he had a phenomenal campaign, finishing as the Champions League's top scorer with 12 goals to his name. He managed 53 goals in all competitions for Madrid and has already netted 24 times in 17 appearances this season.

In 216 matches for Los Blancos, he has scored an incredible 225 goals, which is just 17 shy of Ferenc Puskas’ tally for the club.

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Obviously, these stats make for impressive reading and it is fair to say Ronaldo is a truly outstanding player. Fast, tricky and strong, Madrid’s star man is the complete athlete. He has been irresistible during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu and it is about time his contribution to the club and Spanish football is formally acknowledged.  

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi had been the favourite to win this season’s Ballon d’Or. However, Ronaldo’s form in recent months could see him claim the title of world’s best in January.

With six weeks to further improve his point, Portugal’s captain could finally earn the recognition many—including myself—feel he deserves.

His only other competitor seems to be Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery.

The 30-year-old, who recently earned the 2013-13 UEFA Best Player in Europe award, has had a fine year playing for the German outfit. The Frenchman helped Bayern Munich to a historic treble last season, winning the Champions League, the Bundesliga and the DFB Cup in Jupp Heynckes’ last year at the helm. 

However, this year is Ronaldo’s time for success. The last 12 months have seen him outstrip both Messi and Ribery in terms of individual performances, and while Real Madrid have floundered, the Portuguese continues to shine.

My money is on him to prosper in Zurich and I would be very surprised to see him travel back to Spain empty-handed.