4 outstanding records Cristiano Ronaldo shares with Lionel Messi

#1 Most appearances in the top 3 candidates for the Ballon d'Or

Messi has 6 Ballon d'Ors to Ronaldo's 5

While the Ballon d’Or has been won by some fantastic football talents since the inception of the award in 1956, Messi and Ronaldo managed to take the award to greater heights due to their duopoly on the “greatest of all times” debate.

Their competitive nature and desire to outdo each other on the grand stage has made for a memorable decade for all football fans. The fact that they continue to be in the thick of things even after 13 years since their first appearance in the Ballon d’Or podium only highlights their extraordinary capabilities on the football pitch.

The two of them first appeared in the top 3 of the Ballon d’Or in 2007, when Messi finished third and Ronaldo came second behind Kaka. That kick-started an unmatched reign in the final three of the awards, that has lasted more than a decade!

The Argentinean and the Portuguese have appeared in the top 3 candidates for the Ballon d’Or 12 times, the most by any footballers in the history of the awards. Both have finished third once, but while Ronaldo has finished second on 6 occasions, Messi has done so on 5 occasions. However, the Argentinean beats his Portuguese rival when it comes to the big prize, winning the Ballon d’Or 6 times compared to Ronaldo’s 5.

Since 2007, the Portuguese has missed out on a top 3 finish only in 2010, while Messi’ only absence in the top 3 was in 2018, where he was criminally overlooked as Luka Modric won the Ballon d’Or.