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#3 Lionel Messi | 41.60% | 2012
Messi's win in 2012 has to go down as one of the most straightforward Ballon d'Or victories of all time. More importantly, this particular victory goes on to highlight the fact that the prestigious award takes individual accolades into consideration over all else. Although Messi won only the Copa del Rey during the 2011/12 campaign, his records on a personal level were simply astonishing.
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The majestic Argentine broke Gerd Muller's long-standing record and scored a staggering 91 goals for club and country in the calendar year 2012 — a record that stands to date. Messi scored 50 LaLiga goals in 37 games along with 16 assists and also notched up 14 strikes in 11 UCL appearances.
His stunning achievements were also recognised by Gerd Muller and Bayern Munich, who dedicated a shrine to Messi in the club's museum. While both Ronaldo (second) and Andres Iniesta (third) had compelling cases to win the award, after a season like Messi's, there was only ever going to be one winner.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo | 47.84% | 2016
Widely regarded as Cristiano Ronaldo's greatest season in one of the most illustrious careers football has witnessed, the 2016 Ballon d'Or had his name written all over it. One of the major criticisms faced by both the Portuguese and Messi is their lack of international honours with their countries. While this stands true till date for the latter, it was in 2016 that Ronaldo etched his name into the history books.
2016 saw Ronaldo at his finest, perhaps not in pure goalscoring terms, but as a footballer and as a leader. The Real Madrid man fired his side to La Unadecima, the first of three successive UCL triumphs with Los Blancos, by scoring 16 goals in just 12 UCL games. The forward also racked up 35 goals and 11 assists in 36 LaLiga Santander fixtures that year.
On the international stage, the former Manchester United man guided Portugal to their first-ever piece of silverware, as he helped Fernando Santos' men win the UEFA Euros in 2016, scoring three and setting up two in seven appearances.
Ronaldo was simply unstoppable during this period and rightfully won the fourth of his five Ballons d'Or with 745 votes to his name, blowing Messi and Antoine Griezmann out of the water.
#1 Lionel Messi | 47.88% | 2011
Pep Guardiola's Barcelona as a collective is viewed by many as one of the greatest sides ever assembled in football history. While they won the sextuple in his first full year in charge, there is a valid argument to be made for this rendition of the side is the best of his spell at the club. Barcelona were rampant and romped their way to the UCL as well as LaLiga, and Messi was as decisive as ever for the Spanish giants.
With over 50 goals across all competitions, the Argentine ended the campaign with 31 goals and 18 assists in 31 games, and a further 12 in the UCL in just 11 starts for the club. There was barely any metric applicable in the final third that Messi did not top for the Catalans — goals, assists, passes, dribbles, he had it all. He topped Europe with a stunning tally of 53 goals and 24 assists.
His 2011 win remains the most dominant Ballon d'Or win in history, and the margin even surprised Messi himself. Speaking on his victory, Messi told France Football;
"I was a bit surprised with the big gap between me and the number two. Cristiano Ronaldo and Xavi would have been worthy winners as well."
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