Ballon d'Or 2018 News: Cristiano Ronaldo equals Lionel Messi's longstanding Ballon d'Or record

What's the story?

Despite not winning a sixth Ballon d'Or on Monday, Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo has equaled Barcelona ace Lionel Messi's award record.

In case you didn't know...

The Ballon d'Or winner was finally revealed on Monday in a star-studded night at the Grand Palais in the French capital.

Croatia and Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric predictably took the coveted prize home after the near-perfect year he has had.

The Los Blancos star swooped in all the awards including the UEFA Best Player of the Year award and the Best FIFA Men's Player award for his role in Real Madrid's third consecutive UEFA Champions League win as well as his leading Croatia to their first FIFA World Cup final in their history.

While Cristiano Ronaldo finished at second place this time around, Lionel Messi finished further down at the fifth place, behind the likes of Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann and Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe.

The heart of the matter

Despite having missed out on the coveted prize, the Portuguese ace still managed to equal a longstanding Ballon d'Or record held by Messi.

The Barcelona star's move outside of the top three for the first time since 2006 has paved the way for Ronaldo to achieve the feat.

With his top three spot this year, the Portuguese now has a total of eleven top three nominations, equaling Messi's incredible record.

The talismanic duo holds the record for the most Ballon d'Ors with five awards each.

What's next?

The five-time winners are reportedly set to watch the 2018 Copa Libertadores final second leg between River Plate and Boca Juniors as Florentino Pérez is said to be hosting the duo at the Santiago Bernabeu.