Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the most formidable opponents in modern sport. The legendary Real Madrid and Portuguese footballer overcame Messi on Thursday night to win the Ballon d’Or as the year’s greatest player for a record-tying fifth time. Ronaldo and Messi are now deadlocked after Ronaldo won his fifth Ballon d’Or.
Ronaldo won the France Football magazine trophy ceremony, which took held at the Eiffel Tower on Thursday. He finished first, ahead of rivals Messi and Neymar, who made a world record-breaking transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for 222 million euros ($262 million) during the offseason.
In addition to winning the Ballon d’Or in 2008 while playing for Manchester United, the 32-year-old Portuguese forward again did it in 2013 and 2014. The two times Messi won the trophy were in 2009 and 2015.
However, it’s shocking to hear that Real Madrid’s star striker, Ronaldo Jr., has made Barcelona’s Messi his idol. Messi and Ronaldo Jr. touched hands at the Paris prize ceremony. “Thank you, Leo Messi, my idol,” the young person wrote after posting a photo on his Instagram account.
In the years to come, their on-field rivalry will only get more fierce as they compete for the best player award annually by outscoring each other in goals scored and league and championship titles won by their teams.
The two legendary athletes treat each other with respect when they meet in person at events like these award ceremonies, despite the fact that they are not friends. “I don’t know if we will be (friends). Friendship is built through spending time together and getting to know each other. We have no relationship, mainly because we only see each other at awards ceremonies and that’s the only time we speak. Everything is fine, but our lives don’t cross over very often,” stated Ronaldo after receiving the trophy.