"Never compare", "Ronaldo fans are celebrating" - Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi fans troll each other after Ballon d'Or nominee list

Lionel Messi not included in Ballon d'Or's 30-men shortlist as Cristiano Ronaldo makes it a record 18th time
Lionel Messi not included in Ballon d'Or's 30-men shortlist as Cristiano Ronaldo makes it a record 18th time

France Football has released a list of 30 nominees for the 2022 Ballon d'Or award. It includes Cristiano Ronaldo but not Lionel Messi. Following the announcement, fans of both players took jabs at each other.

The Argentine has failed to make it to the 30-men shortlist for the coveted prize for the first time since 2005. However, he has won the Ballon d'Or a record seven times, most recently last year.

Messi scored 11 goals and provided 15 assists across competitions for Paris Saint-Germain last season (PSG), after ending a 17-season stint at Barcelona. He won Ligue 1 with the Parisians but failed to help them get past the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League. The Argentine missed a penalty in the first leg of their 3-2 defeat against eventual winners Real Madrid.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, has won the Ballon d'Or five times, second only to his great rival, last winning the award in 2018. He returned to Manchester United last summer and was their top goalscorer with 24 goals in 38 games across competitions.

The Portuguese too failed to help his team get past the Champions League Round of 16, losing 2-1 on aggregate to Atletico Madrid. The Red Devils ended their campaign trophyless, accumulating their worst points tally (58) in the Premier League era.

Here's the reaction of Messi and Ronaldo fans on Twitter after the Ballon d'Or shortlist was announced:


Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's Ballon d'Or dominance

The debate for the Greatest Player of all time (GOAT) is never-ending. However, there's no arguing that the legendary duo have dominated the game for more than a decade.

Ronaldo has made his way to the Ballon d'Or 30-man shortlist every year since 2004, while Messi has done so from 2005 to 2021. The duo have won the award every year since 2009, barring 2018, when Luka Modric punctuated their duopoly.

Except Messi and Ronaldo, Johan Cryuff, Marco van Basten and Michel Platini - with three wins apiece - are the only players to win at least three Ballon d'Or awards.

It seems unlikely the legendary duo will now win another Ballon d'Or, as they are in the twilight of their career as the end of an era approaches.

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