Lionel Messi won a record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or during the awards ceremony in Paris on October 30, 2023.
His sensational World Cup win in Qatar with Argentina was enough for the Inter Miami star to finish ahead of Manchester City striker sensation Erling Haaland in the voting.
Messi also won the Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain before leaving for David Beckham’s MLS club in the summer.
Cristiano Ronaldo has received 19 consecutive Ballon d’Or nominations and has been shortlisted every year between the ages of 19 and 37. However, his total number of victories is now three fewer than that of his arch-rival.
The only thing the Portuguese star has over Messi is the fact that he has won the Puskas Award, a trophy awarded to the player judged to have scored the most aesthetically significant or “most beautiful” goal of the calendar year. .
Cristiano Ronaldo Ballon d’Or ends
Cristiano Ronaldo has moved to Al Nassr to play in the Saudi Pro League just weeks after his Portuguese side crashed out of the World Cup in Qatar. However, he was still eligible for the 2023 award as he played a few games for Manchester United at the start of the 2022/23 season.
Ronaldo scored 34 goals in 39 games for the Saudi side and led Al Nassr to their first Arab Club Champions Cup thanks to a win in the final against rivals Al Hilal.
However, players based in non-European teams are not eligible to win the Ballon d’Or, so these achievements do not count towards his chances of winning this year. And because his performances for United were not enough to qualify for the competition, for the first time since 2003 he was missing from the 30-man Ballon d’Or shortlist.
Cristiano Ronaldo all-time Ballon d’Or finishes
Year | Finish |
2004 | 12th |
2005 | 20th |
2006 | 14th |
2007 | 2nd |
2008 | 1st |
2009 | 2nd |
2010 | 6th |
2011 | 2nd |
2012 | 2nd |
2013 | 1st |
2014 | 1st |
2015 | 2nd |
2016 | 1st |
2017 | 1st |
2018 | 2nd |
2019 | 3rd |
2020 | * |
2021 | 6th |
2022 | 20th |
2023 | N/A** |