In brief
Ronaldo has only been selected by three Ballon d’Or winners, indicating polarising views.
Rivaldo is one of seven winners who back Messi because they recognise his ability to change the game.
Kaka, Figo, and Nedved are among the winners who maintain their neutrality since they consider both to be genuine greats.
For football fans, seeing Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo co-star is a once-in-a-lifetime gift that may never happen again. They are widely regarded as two of the best players in history, and their rivalry has influenced and defined a whole generation of athletes. The argument over who is better is still exciting and unresolved, with no firm decision in sight despite their astounding goal and assist totals and 13 Ballon d’Or awards between them.
With Messi and Ronaldo dominating it year after year, the Ballon d’Or itself has taken on the role of a sort of last frontier in this competition. Kaka’s victory in 2007 seems like a throwback to a time when the field of champions was more diverse and competitive. A rotating lineup of football’s most brilliant players, representing the sport’s great diversity, were acknowledged with the award prior to their supremacy.
The once-open match has become a fierce two-horse race, with Messi and Ronaldo currently leading the attack. Even among the players and coaches who vote for this prestigious award, the argument over who should be named the greatest has generated heated debates. We’ve examined the opinions of each Ballon d’Or winner since 1998 in an effort to clarify the most persistent controversy in football. These are the people who have personally experienced the highest level of personal success, thus their perspectives on the Messi vs. Ronaldo rivalry are insightful.
How Each Ballon d’Or Winner Since 1998 Responded to the Ronaldo vs. Messi Argument
Year of the Ballon d’Or
The victor
Option
1998
Zidane Zinedine
Ronaldo Cristiano
1999
Rivaldo
Lionel Messi
2000
Figo Luis
Not sure
2001
Michael Owen
Ronaldo Cristiano
2002
Ronaldo
Lionel Messi
2003
Nedved Pavel
Not sure
2004
Shevchenko, Andriy
Lionel Messi
2005
Ronaldo
Lionel Messi
2006
Cannavaro Fabio
Lionel Messi
2007
Kaka
Not sure
2018
Modric Luka
Lionel Messi
2022
Benzema Karim
Ronaldo Cristiano
2024
Rodri
Lionel Messi
The People Who Selected Ronaldo
The Real Madrid legend was selected by just three Ballon d’Or winners.
When he guided Portugal to victory at Euro 2016, Ronaldo became the first of the two to win a major international title. However, Messi has since equalled that distinction with Argentina’s Copa America victory in 2021 and surpassed it by winning the World Cup the following year. In recent discussions, this has emerged as the primary cause of a wider divide in viewpoints.
Only three previous Ballon d’Or winners since 1998 have named the 39-year-old their greatest, which is proof of this. The fact that all three of them played for Real Madrid at some point in their careers should come as no surprise, but their opinions should definitely be regarded with caution.
Ronaldo was managed in the Spanish capital by ZInedine Zidane, who won the Ballon d’Or in 1999 following an outstanding season for both club and nation. His viewpoint on the Messi vs. Ronaldo controversy shows his devotion to the player who was instrumental in Zidane’s record three-title run in the Champions League from 2015 to 2018.
Michael Owen is another athlete who has worn the recognisable white and gold jersey. It’s interesting that he invoked Ronaldo’s versatility as justification for his selection in the debate—a tactic frequently employed by Messi supporters. According to Owen: “I think Messi is outstanding in certain attributes but as an all-round physique, Ronaldo is such an all-round player.”
Karim Benzema, the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner, is the third and last player to support Ronaldo. They had one of Real Madrid’s most productive partnerships, sharing the pitch 242 times and helping each other out 76 times. Benzema’s selection was expected since only Pepe has played more games with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Lionel Messi’s Selectors
Luka Modric was one of seven players who accompanied the Argentinean.
In a 2017 interview, Rivaldo, who has long been loyal to Barcelona, stated: “I would like to play with Messi, he is the best of the world, the one who makes more differences.” Ronaldo? He is Real Madrid’s most dangerous player. Like Messi, he is difficult to stop since they both score a lot of goals and you never know what they will come up with next.
Despite claims that David Beckham, who was likely the main contributor to Manchester United’s treble-winning season, was more worthy, the Brazilian won the 1999 Ballon d’Or. However, he was the first of many to support Messi in the dispute; fellow countryman Ronaldo, who played on both sides of the Spain-Catalonia split, claimed that Messi “brought more magic to football.”
In support of his claim to be the greatest, Andriy Shevchenko cited Messi’s incredible achievements in 2012, saying at the 2013 ceremony: “It is remarkable to score 91 goals in a full year. Leo Messi is fantastic, but he and Cristiano are both excellent. Ronaldinho, meanwhile, became one of the Brazilians who favoured his fellow South American. “I didn’t get enough time with him, he was very young,” he said, looking back on their little time together on the pitch. I would really like to go out on the pitch with him again.
One of the rare defenders to win the Ballon d’Or, Fabio Cannavaro, made an interesting observation in 2013: “Messi and Ronaldo are both excellent goal scorers. Messi’s performance is slightly better right now. It’s unclear if Cannavaro’s views have changed over time, but he has also previously ranked Diego Maradona and Brazilian Ronaldo equally.
Luka Modric once referred to Messi as the “greatest player in history” despite the fact that he had played with Ronaldo and won numerous trophies with him. Rodri, the most recent recipient of the Ballon d’Or mantle, concurred, saying that Messi was a player who could pose a threat from anywhere on the pitch.
Players Without a Decision
Kaka, Pavel Nedved, and Luis Figo are still unsure.
For some, it’s still too hard to decide who is the best of all time. This is the case with the Ballon d’Or winners in 2000, 2003, and 2007, respectively, Luis Figo, Pavel Nedved, and Kaka. Given his past with Barcelona and Real Madrid, Figo’s response was eagerly awaited, but to the annoyance of football supporters, he remained undecided when asked to select one over the other. He stated:
“They are both the world’s greatest. Selecting one of them and declaring him the best is never easy. I would never pick one above the other.
Strangely, the Czech legend once asserted that Gonzalo Higuain is a greater striker than both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ronaldo, despite Nedved’s loyalty to Juventus typically causing him to select Ronaldo. Compared to Kaka, who only acknowledged that he couldn’t separate the two, this was undoubtedly a lot odd position.
The Brazilian offensive midfielder’s award is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious of all previous Ballon d’Or winners since he was the last player to win it before Messi and Ronaldo began their era of supremacy. “Messi is a genius and Ronaldo is a sort of icon of modern football… both have undoubtedly defined their generation,” he said in his 2018 response, avoiding any ambiguity. They are superb athletes.
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