How many Ballon d'Ors has Ronaldo won? The Portuguese forward is a keen competitor and is always looking for the next achievement.
Despite moving to Saudi Arabia, Cristiano Ronaldo has managed to hug the headlines. The move from Manchester United to the Middle East opened doors for the influx of many stars.
Saudi Arabia has now welcomed stars like Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Jordan Henderson, with more players to arrive.
All this is beside the point. For the first time in a long while, Ronaldo is missing from the Ballon d’Or shortlist.
The Portuguese, who has been in a keen battle with Lionel Messi, will watch the 2023 awards from the sidelines while his arch-rival contests for a record eighth title.
How many Ballon d'Ors has Ronaldo won?
The battle between Ronaldo and Messi dates back to the days of the Portuguese at Manchester United.
Many insinuated that Messi was better than Ronaldo, and, the keen competitor that the Portuguese is, he accepted the challenge to prove that he is the better player.
The contest between these massive athletes brought us many years of exciting entertainment.
The contest snowballed into who has won the UEFA Champions League more and who has the most Ballon d’Or awards.
With Lionel Messi on seven, how many Ballon d'Ors has Ronaldo won?
Cristiano came close to winning his first Ballon d’Or title in 2007.
Kaka, who was playing at AC Milan at the time and had a fantastic season, pipped him to the award.
It was a deep pain for Cristiano Ronaldo, and he wept, but not for long. Ronaldo fought back and won his first Ballon d’Or the following year.
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Cristiano Ronaldo has the MOST Ballon d’Or nominations in the history of football. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/yKFDuWfalg
— The CR7 Timeline. (@TimelineCR7) September 7, 2023
It was the beginning of the Ballon d’Or rivalry between the two. Lionel Messi won the following four awards, leaving Ronaldo in his wake.
Ronaldo bounced back and won the 2013 and 2014 editions before losing out to Messi for two more years.
2016 and 2017 belonged to Ronaldo, but since then, it has been a struggle for Ronaldo to enact the feat of yore.
Can Ronaldo win the Ballon d’Or again?
Have we confused you? How many Ballon d'Ors has Ronaldo won?? Well, the Portuguese has five – two titles behind Messi.
The future looks bleak, as Ronaldo has withdrawn to the less competitive Saudi Arabia Pro League.
The award organisers are less likely to look in his direction now.
Perhaps the main reason Messi is on the list is because of Argentina’s victory at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The MLS is less fancied and will get these two heroes of the game fewer points.
Ronaldo’s only chance of winning the Ballon d’Or is if he wins the European Championship or the 2026 World Cup with Portugal.
Barring this, he has to return to Europe and do something big to stand a chance of winning the Ballon d’Or again.
This article was most recently revised and updated 2 months ago