Charting Cristiano Ronaldo's, Lionel Messi's Ballon d'Or rankings

Karim Benzema acquired the 2022 males’s Ballon d’Or, most seemingly the most illustrious particular person award in European soccer, for the exact Madrid striker’s herculean efforts in 2021-22.

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the outcomes of this 12 months’s awards revealed at Monday’s gala additionally signalled one factor of a sea change as each Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, each fixtures on the Ballon d’Or polls for 15 years, recorded extremely disappointing finishes inside the ballot.

beforehand, not decrease than one or each gamers had accomplished inside the very best three of the vote each 12 months since 2007, however the 2022 closing standings noticed Ronaldo down in twentieth place (his lowest rating since 2005), whereas Messi did not even make it on the 30-man shortlist.

Ronaldo and Messi first appeared collectively inside the very best three of the Ballon d’Or vote again in 2007, as quickly as they respectively accomplished second and third behind winner Kaka inside the closing ballot.

Ronaldo then ascended to win his first Ballon d’Or in 2008, sparking a persistent period of domination for every himself and his rival as they proceeded to share the subsequent 10 awards between them.

right here we chart the two gamers’ respective Ballon d’Or finishes 12 months by 12 months, starting with Ronaldo’s maiden success some 14 years in the past.


2008 (Ronaldo: Ballon d’Or winner, Messi: 2nd)

Aged 23 on the time and by means of the penultimate season of his first stint at Manchester United, Ronaldo was the major of the duo to win the Ballon d’Or. The Portuguese forward scored forty two goals by means of the 2007-08 advertising campaign as United acquired each the Premier League and Champions League, which finally noticed him finish forward of Messi inside the vote.

2009 (Messi: winner, Ronaldo: 2nd)

Messi was bestowed collectively with his first Ballon d’Or on the age of twenty-two after a Treble-worthwhile season that culminated in him scoring in Barca’s Champions League closing win over Ronaldo’s United. He turned the major Argentine participant to be topped winner, a feat by no means achieved by Albiceleste good Diego Maradona.

2010 (Messi: winner, Ronaldo: sixth)

Barcelona dominated the 2010 awards as Messi claimed his second Ballon d’Or whereas the remaining podium places have been occupied by fellow La Masia alumni Andres Iniesta and Xavi, a mirrored picture of Spain‘s triumph on the World Cup over the summer time. in the meantime Ronaldo accomplished a distant sixth beneath Wesley Sneijder and Diego Forlan.

2011 (Messi: winner, Ronaldo 2nd)

With forty three goals and 21 assists in forty seven video games over the course of 2011, it obtained here as little shock when Messi acquired a third consecutive Ballon d’Or after his peerless performances fuelled Barcelona to a formidable quintuple — LaLiga, Champions League, Spanish Supercopa, UEFA super Cup and the membership World Cup — inside the residence of 1 12 months.

2012 (Messi: winner, Ronaldo: 2nd)

Ronaldo as quickly as as quickly as extra wished to make do with ending runner-up behind Messi as a consequence of the Barcelona forward turned the major participant in footballing historic previous to win 4 successive Ballon d’Ors. The world was then dealt with to the sight of Messi accumulating his doc-shattering trophy whereas dressed as a lot as a consequence of the nines in a great polka dot tuxedo.

2013 (Ronaldo: winner, Messi: 2nd)

Ronaldo managed to claw again some floor in 2013 by worthwhile his second Ballon d’Or as a consequence of the prolific exact Madrid striker pipped Messi and Franck Ribery to the award by advantage of scoring fifty five goals in fifty five matches for Los Blancos by means of the 2012-thirteen season.

2014 (Ronaldo: winner, Messi: 2nd)

Ronaldo accomplished his Ballon d’Or hat trick on the age of 29 in resounding type as a consequence of of a landslide victory over Messi inside the closing ballot. Scoring fifty one goals in forty seven video games in 2013-14 complete, the Portuguese star additionally helped finish exact Madrid’s quest to safe “La Decima” (the membership’s tenth European Cup title) by scoring a doc-breaking 17 goals inside the Champions League.

2015 (Messi: winner, Ronaldo: 2nd)

Messi returned to the very greater of the ballot in 2015 after worthwhile 5 trophies with Barcelona (collectively with LaLiga and the Champions League) and contributing fifty two goals and 26 assists in sixty one video games for membership and nation over the course of the calendar 12 months.

2016 (Ronaldo: winner, Messi: 2nd)

The pendulum then swung as quickly as extra the subsequent 12 months as Ronaldo took the honours in 2016 to kickstart a three-12 months streak of sustained Champions League success. The 31-12 months-outdated scored fifty 4 goals in 2015-sixteen as exact Madrid turned European champions as quickly as extra earlier than including three extra goals to his hefty tally as Portugal acquired Euro 2016.

2017 (Ronaldo: winner, Messi 2nd)

Ronaldo drew stage with Messi’s doc by claiming the fifth Ballon D’or of his profession in 2017 by advantage of scoring forty two goals in a LaLiga and Champions League double-worthwhile season with exact Madrid the earlier advertising campaign (2016-17).

2018 (Ronaldo: 2nd, Messi: fifth)

After taking half in a starring position for every exact Madrid and Croatia, Luka Modric rocked the Ballon d’Or scene by muscling into the physique and turning into the major participant fully different than Ronaldo and Messi to win the award for a full decade.

2019 (Messi: winner, Ronaldo: third)

Messi moved out in entrance as quickly as as quickly as extra by worthwhile his sixth profession Ballon d’Or in 2019 after scoring fifty one goals and laying on 19 assists (a whopping complete of 70 purpose involvements) in forty nine matches by means of the 2018-19 season, the advertising campaign by means of which he acquired his closing LaLiga title as a Barcelona participant. Messi and Ronaldo have been separated on the podium by Virgil van Dijk, who accomplished inside the silver-medal spot after his heroics for Liverpool of their Champions League-worthwhile advertising campaign.

2020 (Awards cancelled ensuing from Covid-19)

regardless of most major leagues and competitions finally being accomplished after the major worldwide lockdown in consequence of pandemic, the various was taken to not hand out an award in 2020.

2021 (Messi: winner, Ronaldo: sixth)

Having departed Barcelona to hitch Paris Saint-Germain, Messi further prolonged his doc in 2021 — although his seventh Ballon d’Or obtained here as one factor of a shock to many followers who felt that Bayern Munich‘s unstoppable purpose machine Robert Lewandowski was a nailed-on cert to win the award after being so cruelly denied in 2020 when he spearheaded the German giants’ Champions League triumph.

2022 (Ronaldo: twentieth, Messi: DNQ)

Is the very good Messi-Ronaldo Ballon d’Or duopoly lastly over? The 2022 Ballon d’Or consequence truly appears to be like ominous for the as quickly as-presiding pair after Ronaldo virtually managed to limp into the decrease recesses of the closing 30-man standings whereas his Argentine up up to now did not make the grade completely.

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