In Messi’s first two campaigns with the Barcelona first team, he scored nine goals in 34 matches. For Ronaldo at Sporting and Manchester United, it was 11 goals in 71 games.

Pep Guardiola believes Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta deserved to win the Ballon d’Or in their careers Lionel Messi’s dominance overshadowed the Spanish duo's chances during Barcelona’s golden era ...

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi dominated football for two decades and in turn, had a stranglehold over the prestigious Ballon d’Or award in that time. The pair have won a combined 13 prizes ...

Alarm bells were ringing when Real Madrid pulled out of the Ballon Door because they’d heard Vinicius wouldn’t win. But recent developments where the ref for the Copa del Rey game this weekend ...

Pep Guardiola once named Xavi and Andres Iniesta as two players who never won the Ballon d'Or because of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The two Spanish midfielders are often considered among ...

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has already named two players he thinks should’ve won the Ballon d’Or but ... did during their careers. Advert “Messi, nobody could beat him ...

In 1998, Zinedine Zidane led France to World Cup glory and earned the Ballon d’Or as a result ... that tradition of rewarding World Cup winners was broken in 2010 when Lionel Messi won the prestigious ...

Despite being one of the best talents of his generation, Totti was never able to win the coveted Ballon d’Or. Meanwhile, Messi has secured the individual award as many as eight times during his ...

He added: "As for next year, I would say that Gareth Bale has got his work cut out getting ahead of Messi and Ronaldo to win his first Ballon d’Or. I think it will be between those two again." ...

Advert Instead, Iniesta's Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi collected the second of his eight Ballon d'Or trophies that year. Messi was already considered the best in the world, then, by the time ...

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes previously named one player who could potentially win the Ballon d'Or ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Ronaldo and Messi will forever be ...