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The Ballon d'Or has been the talk of the town after Lionel Messi won the Copa America with Argentina. He has been touted as the favorite to win the award while Chelsea's midfield pair Jorginho and N'Golo Kante are also in contention after they won the Champions League with the club and the former also won the Euros with Italy.
Plenty of teammates have contested for the Ballon d'Or
With both Jorginho and N'Golo Kante in line for the 2021 Ballon d'Or, there have been plenty of other teammates in the past who have contested for the award. The likes of Lionel Messi and Barcelona have dominated the Ballon d'Or podium during the early 2010's while the players from the famous AC Milan team of the early 1990's also contested for the award with each other.
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But what are the top five instances when teammates have contested each other for the Ballon d'Or? Let's have a look-
#5 Lionel Messi & Neymar Jr- FC Barcelona (2015)
Lionel Messi formed a devastating trident with Neymar and Luis Suarez (famously known as the MSN) that swept Barcelona to a La Liga, Champions League and Copa Del Rey treble in the 2014-15 campaign.
Lionel Messi scored 58 goals and provided 31 assists in 57 games for the club over the season, while his compatriot Neymar registered 39 goals and 10 assists in 51 appearances for Barcelona across the campaign.
Lionel Messi and Neymar's performances earned them a position in the top three nominees for the Ballon d'Or 2015 with Lionel Messi winning his record 5th Ballon d'Or with 41.33% of the votes, while his teammate Neymar finished third behind Ronaldo with 7.86% of the votes.
Lionel Messi and Neymar continued their partnership for two more years before Neymar eventually swapped Barcelona for PSG for a world record €222 million in 2017. Lionel Messi has stayed at Barcelona but is currently out of contract although he is expected to renew before the start of next season.
#4 Marco Van Basten & Ruud Gullit- AC Milan/Netherlands (1988)
Marco Van Basten and Ruud Gullit formed a notable Dutch trio with Frank Rijkaard at AC Milan, which would go on to dominate Italy and Europe during the late 1980's and early 1990's. They formed one of the most dominant sides in club football, winning two European Cups and two Scudetti. It made perfect sense for all three Dutchmen to be in the running for the Ballon d'Or.
While Rijkaard played in defense, both Van Basten and Ruud Gullit formed a deadly partnership upfront for both club and country. Van Basten had the ability to find the net when it mattered the most, while his compatriot Gullit was perhaps one of the best playmakers of his generation. The pair combined their footballing brains to conquer Europe at both club and international level.
While Gullit registered the figures of 13 goals and 11 assists in 39 games, Van Basten had a subdued season, scoring eight goals and providing three assists as he was out through an ankle injury for the majority of the season.
But it was his brilliant performance at the 1988 Euros that helped him win the Ballon d'Or that year ahead of Ruud Gullit. Van Basten scored five goals and provided one assist in the tournament while scoring a mind-blowing volley in the final which is fondly remembered as one of the greatest moments in sporting history, helping the Netherlands win their first ever international trophy.
While Gullit had already won the Ballon d'Or in 1987, Van Basten would go onto lift another one in 1989, following a superb season with Milan. His time in Italy would reward him with three Serie A titles and two Champions League trophies, before his aforementioned ankle issues would sadly force him into early retirement.
#3 Roberto Carlos & Ronaldo Nazario- Real Madrid/Brazil (2002)
Both Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos were in contention for the 2002 Ballon d'Or after winning the World Cup with Brazil. Ronaldo managed to play only 16 games for Inter that season due to injuries, scoring seven goals and providing three assists.
On the other hand, Roberto Carlos played 52 games for Real Madrid, registering figures of six goals and 10 assists from the left-back position to help Madrid win the UEFA Champions League that season.
But as with Van Basten, it was Ronaldo's performance at the World Cup that ultimately helped him win his second Ballon d'Or. Ronaldo scored a whopping eight goals in the tournament, with two goals against Germany in the final helping Brazil win their fifth World Cup.
His performance impressed sports journalists as he claimed the Ballon d'Or with 169 points, finishing ahead of Roberto Carlos who could only amass 145 points.
Ronaldo later joined his international team-mate at Real Madrid after the World Cup.
#2 Fabio Cannavaro & Gianluigi Buffon- Italy/Juventus (2006)
Fabio Cannavaro & Ginaluigi Buffon were nominated for the Ballon d'Or after winning the World Cup with Italy in 2006.
They also led Juventus to the Serie A title before the Italian giants were stripped of their honor for their role in the Calciopoli (match-fixing scandal).
Both Cannavaro and Buffon had a brilliant season at club level, conceding only 24 goals over the course of the campaign and winning Serie A with 91 points before Juventus were embroiled in the scandal.
They carried their form to the World Cup and were solid in defense for Italy, who conceded only two goals in the entire tournament, beating France in the final to lift the trophy.
Cannavaro eventually won the Ballon d'Or with 173 points while Buffon claimed the second-spot with 124 points. He became only the third defender to win the Ballon d'Or after Matthias Sammer and Franz Beckenbauer and was the last defender till date to win the award.
#1 Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi- Barcelona (2010)
The 2010 edition of the Ballon d'Or was a special one for Barcelona fans. It was the only time that three players from the same team, trained in the academy of that club, occupied all three places on the podium.
Lionel Messi had an excellent season at the individual level winning the Pichichi, the Golden Boot and the La Liga with Andres Iniesta and Xavi, both of whom also won the World Cup in South Africa with Spain.
Messi won his second Ballon d'Or with 22.65% of the votes, while Iniesta finished behind him with 17.36% votes and Xavi third with 16.48% votes.
Though Messi won the Ballon d'Or, many had expected Andres Inesta or Weslie Sneijder to clinch the award, with the former lifting the World Cup with Spain and also scoring in the final while the latter won the treble with Inter and helped the Netherlands reach the World Cup final.
