Football fans today immediately think of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi whenever the Ballon d’Or is mentioned.

Between them, they have won every year of the award since 2008 (with the exception of 2018 when Luka Modric took home the hardware). For a long time, it has been entertaining to imagine a heated competition between the two as they each try to outdo the other in the world of football.

There is no bad blood between the two athletes despite the fact that they have been asked numerous times to comment on the status of their relationship. That doesn’t mean there haven’t been any hiccups along the way.

Messi and Ronaldo have faced off in some heated matches for Barcelona and Real Madrid, but they have seldom lost their cool at each other. Two years ago, when the Ballon d’Or ceremony came around, the latter was especially irritated because of some unusual statements made by the award’s organizer, Pascal Ferre.

The head of the Ballon d’Or award said in an interview with the New York Times, “Ronaldo has only one ambition, and that is to retire with more Ballons d’Or than Messi, and I know that because he has told me.”

The comments infuriated the Portugal captain, who argued that they were completely false. Ronaldo posted the following to Instagram, explaining the significance of today’s result: “Today’s results explains why Pascal Ferre’s words last week, when he indicated that I confided in him that my sole ambition was to finish my career with more Golden Balls than Lionel Messi.

“Pascal Ferre lied; he appropriated my name for his own and his employer’s benefit. Someone who is responsible for presenting such an honorable award should not have lied to someone who has shown such consistent admiration for France Football and the Ballon d’Or.

And he lied again today, saying that a quarantine that doesn’t exist is the reason I wasn’t able to attend the Gala. I’m never against anyone, so when they win I always offer my congratulations in the spirit of sportsmanship and fair play, which have been my guiding principles throughout my entire career.

I always come out on top, both for myself and the teams I represent, and for the people who care about me the most. I can’t beat anyone. My ultimate professional goal is to lead the teams I play for—both locally and for my country—to a national or international championship. My lifelong goal is to set a positive example for all professional football players and aspiring professionals.

The unfortunate incident is hardly the only time the two giants have butted heads. The 2007 Ballon d’Or ceremony was the last one held before the duopoly took over. The prize went to Kaka, a playmaker from Brazil; Ronaldo came in second, and Messi rounded out the top three.

The FIFA World Player of the Year awards ceremony took place at the Zurich Opera House only 15 days later. Kaka also won the same trophy, then known as “The Best,” in 2007. Messi finished second, and Ronaldo third, this time.

That switch in Ballon d’Or rankings’ roles made for an uncomfortable situation in Zurich. The participants were left red-faced due to their mutual bewilderment over who had crossed the finish line first.

After Pele presented Ronaldo with the silver trophy despite Ronaldo’s obvious third-place finish, FIFA president Sepp Blatter asked if the two talents would trade trophies.

One host tried to lighten the mood by making a joke at Ronaldo’s expense, but all he ended up saying was, “You tried!” He then offered Messi the better cutlery and said, “You tried!”

This year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony should be less fraught with on-stage embarrassment, what with Ronaldo currently playing in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr. However, Messi is the odds-on favorite to win the award for the eighth time.