Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are synonymous with the Ballon d’Or award. For more than ten years, the two football legends dominated the award; however, their reign is drawing to an end.
Ronaldo has cast ballots for FIFA’s The Best Award and the Ballon d’Or, and the records of his selections are available.
After leading Manchester United to the Champions League and Premier League double, Ronaldo was awarded his first Ballon d’Or in 2008. It alternated between him and his longtime rival, Messi, for the next ten years.
Messi took home eight Ballon d’Or awards during that time, with his most recent one coming in 2023. He won five of them. Both have twice taken home FIFA’s The Best Award.
FIFA’s Ballon d’Or and France Football collaborated to name the world’s best player from 2010 to 2015. The two organizations have conducted separate award ceremonies since 2016.
Ronaldo’s vote-casting party
The Ballon d’Or winner was chosen by the coaches and captains of the national teams. From 2010 to 2015, FIFA and the award were combined.
The Al-Nassr sensation has never voted for Messi despite casting four votes for the Portugal captain and Ballon d’Or winner. Journalists from the top 100 FIFA-ranked nations served as jurors following the split.
The FIFA Best Awards are decided by voting by media representatives, coaches, captains, and fans. Except for 2022, Ronaldo has cast a ballot each year.
He voted Xavi, who assisted Spain in winning the World Cup in 2010, in first place. Wesley Sneijder, who led Inter Milan to a treble, received the third vote, while Iker Casillas, his Real Madrid teammate, received the second.
Then, in 2011 and 2012, his countryman Bruno Alves assumed responsibility for casting ballots, selecting Ronaldo as the winner in both cases. This is a rundown of Ronaldo’s voting record according to Planet Football.
Ronaldo’s history of Ballon d’Or voting
2010 – Xavi, Iker Casillas, Wesley Sneijder
2013 – Radamel Falcao, Gareth Bale, Mesut Ozil
2014 – Sergio Ramos, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema
2015 – Karim Benzema, James Rodriguez, Gareth Bale
2016 – Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos
2017 – Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo
2018 – Raphael Varane, Luka Modric, Antoine Griezmann
2019 – Mathijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong, Kylian Mbappe
2020 – Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe
2021 – Robert Lewandowski, N’Golo Kante, Jorginho
On November 4, Ronaldo’s goal in the 2-0 victory over Al Khaleej marked his second goal-scoring achievement in his final game for Al-Nassr, as Sports Brief reported.
In addition to enhancing his incredible season stats, the veteran’s goal in the 26th minute also achieved the incredible feat of 400 goals scored after turning 30.
With Al-Nassr, Ronaldo is having a fantastic 2023–24 season. He is the top goal scorer in the Saudi Pro League with 12 goals.