Whether they see it in us or not, the historic battle between Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentine Lionel Messi on stage at the Ballon d’Or kept us entertained for almost the last 15 years.
However, as both competitors approach the end of their careers, the battle seems to be on the decline. On Monday, November 29, Lionel Messi won the seventh-most prestigious award in his career, with Ronaldo finishing in sixth place.
The Manchester United striker was overwhelmed by Juventus’ poor season, as well as Portugal’s unbeaten run at Euro 2020. Since then, he has moved to England, with the team currently sitting in eighth place in the English Premier League.
Ronaldo is 36 years old, however, which means his prominence is behind him whether he likes it or not, although his stats are still very talked-about, as he has 10 goals in 15 games for his team this season.
The relationship between Messi and Ronaldo has always been respectful. The two have always agreed on how to argue. But as the two grow older, it would seem that Messi has won him over, as he now has two more Ballon d’Or awards than his rival.
Ronaldo’s victory came in 2017, a year before Luke Modric’s bid for the trophy following his World Cup campaign against Croatia. Since then, Messi has won two more awards, taking the race and running away.
