Curious Ballon d’Or poll sees Ronaldo crush Messi

The poll opened in early October and will remain available until midnight on October 27, Paris time. Participants must select a specific award-winning season from players who have won the trophy at least twice.

Alongside the two defining figures of the modern era, the list features Ronaldo Nazário, Marco van Basten, Michel Platini, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Kevin Keegan, Franz Beckenbauer, Johan Cruyff and Alfredo Di Stéfano.

Among the notable past winners, Brazilian Ronaldo claimed the award in 1997 and 2002, while Dutch great Van Basten won it three times, in 1988, 1989 and 1992. Platini and Cruyff also collected three awards each.

One of the most striking aspects of the initiative is that each vote costs €1. Participants are also entered into a draw for two tickets to this year’s ceremony and can purchase and download an “iconic photo” of the trophy. Fans can vote multiple times, including for the same winner, and track the percentage of votes received by each candidate.

So far, Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2008 Ballon d’Or leads the poll with 62 per cent of the votes, a remarkable margin. The Portuguese star won the award while starring for Manchester United, earning the first of his five Ballon d’Or titles.

By comparison, Messi’s 2012 Ballon d’Or has secured 13 per cent, despite recognising a historic year for the Argentine forward. Messi scored 91 goals in 69 matches that calendar year and claimed his fourth consecutive Ballon d’Or. However, support for the Argentine appears to be spread across the eight editions in which he won the award.

Messi’s 2023 triumph, which followed Argentina’s World Cup victory in Qatar, ranks next among the preferences, with nine per cent of the votes. During that season, he also won Ligue 1 and the French Super Cup with Paris Saint-Germain, recording 21 goals and 20 assists in 41 appearances.

Further down the rankings, Ronaldo’s 2007 Ballon d’Or has received seven per cent of the votes, while his 2016 award has garnered two per cent. Other awards won by the two superstars have attracted just one per cent each, while some editions have no visible voting percentage.

Meanwhile, Messi and Ronaldo continue their pursuit of the 1,000-goal milestone. The Argentine has scored 936 goals in 1,180 matches, while the Portuguese forward has amassed 981 goals in 1,340 appearances.