Both players are considered among the greatest in football history, having dominated the Ballon d’Or scene for more than ten years. From 2008 to 2018, they won every edition of the award. ..Continue Reading
Messi has since added three more Ballon d’Or titles, bringing his tally to eight—a record—while Ronaldo has won it five times. Yet, despite having fewer overall wins, Ronaldo holds the record for the “biggest winning margin in Ballon d’Or history”.
In 2016, he finished ahead of Messi by a staggering 429 points. That season, although Barcelona edged Real Madrid to the league title by a single point, Madrid responded by winning their 11th Champions League trophy.
Ronaldo played a pivotal role, scoring 16 goals in the tournament and converting the decisive penalty in the shootout against Atletico Madrid in the final.
During Euro 2016, he guided Portugal to their first major international title, scoring twice in the group stage and netting the opener in the semi-final against Wales.
Though he had to leave the final due to injury, his teammates went on to secure a surprise 1-0 win over hosts France.
Following Ronaldo’s 2016 win, the top five also includes Luke Modric, Ronaldo again, Messi, and Zinedine Zidane. Messi might feel slightly disadvantaged, as from 2010 to 2015, the Ballon d’Or used a “percentage scale”.
He claimed four of his titles during that stretch, but the margins from those years can’t be directly compared.
The second-largest margin came in 2018, when Modric broke the Ronaldo-Messi streak. He led Real Madrid to Champions League glory and guided Croatia to the World Cup final.
Modric ended up 277 points ahead of Ronaldo. Ronaldo ranks third with his 2017 Ballon d’Or win.
That year, he scored 42 goals and was instrumental in Real Madrid’s league and Champions League double, including two goals in the final.
Messi is fourth, having finished 240 points ahead of Ronaldo in 2009.
Barcelona won six trophies that year, including a Champions League final victory over Ronaldo’s Manchester United.
Completing the top five is Zidane, who had a “winning margin of 176 points over Davor Suker” in 1998. He helped Juventus win Serie A and played a key role in France’s World Cup triumph, defeating Brazil in the final.
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