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Lionel Messi's eighth Ballon d'Or has led to an online campaign from fans of Cristiano Ronaldo claiming the Portuguese won all of his five awards fair and square but how legit is that assertion?
Lionel Messi has been named the best player in the world for the eighth time in his career and his latest Ballon d'Or appears to be the most controversial one yet.
The 2023 Ballon d'Or split opinion among football fans with some believing Messi to be the rightful winner based mostly on his 2022 World Cup exploits while others think Haaland's incredible 52 goals in a treble-winning season for Manchester City should have done the trick.
Fans of Cristiano Ronaldo have quickly used the criticism to try and discredit Messi's eight Ballon d'Or wins while claiming that the Portuguese star 'earned' all five of his.
Cristiano Ronaldo's sister commented on one of such posts on Instagram with five clapping emojis suggesting that she shares the same sentiments.
As ridiculous as the entire thing sounds, it has been the dynamic between the supporters of the two guys in the GOAT debate for at least the last 15 years which makes it fair game.
What is not fair game though is the claim that Ronaldo 'earned' all five Ballo d'Or gongs and a quick look into history may yet reveal one of two asterisks.
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18:35 - 01.11.2023
'Erling deserved it very much too' — Why Messi's Ballon d'Or comments to Haaland were disrespectful
Lionel Messi said some seemingly kind words to Erling Haaland at the 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony but here is why it could have been misinterpreted as disrespect.
Cristiano Ronaldo's five Ballon d'Or awards
The simple answer to the above question is yes, everyone who has ever won the Ballon d'Or earned it by playing excellently over a period of time, the contention has always been whether or not someone else did more.
However, the narrative being painted by the lovers of Cristiano is that his five awards could not have been won by anyone else which is simply not true as Ronaldo had quite a few Ballon d'Or controversies himself.
His first Ballon d'Or in 2008 was the beginning of a decade-long dominance by Ronaldo and his biggest rival Messi with both men finishing first and second respectively.
He won that off the back of a stellar 2007/08 season in which he scored 42 goals and registered eight assists in 49 games while also winning the Premier League and Champions League titles with Manchester United.
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That award was followed swiftly by four straight Messi Ballons d'Or and Ronaldo wouldn't win it again until 2013 which was particularly contentious but we'll get to that.
Cristiano won his third Ballon d'Or in 2014 as a reward for 51 goals and 17 assists en route to helping Real Madrid clinch La Decima in 2013/14.
Ballon d'Or number was in 2016 following yet another prolific season, this time back Portugal's Euro 2016 triumph and the UEFA Champions League trophy which was the first of an eventual three-peat.
The fifth and final one followed immediately after the fourth, with 42 goals and 12 assists in all competitions to help Real Madrid win a La Liga and Champions League double.
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09:52 - 01.11.2023
Cristiano Ronaldo on Ballon d'Or: I deserve to win more than Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed his dream of establishing himself as the greatest footballer in history by winning the most Ballon d'Or awards.
What happened in 2013?
When the die-hard Cristiano Ronaldo fans and his sister repeat the rhetoric 'earned not given', they conveniently leave out the 2013 Ballon d'Or.
Real Madrid finished second in the 2012/13 La Liga season, 15 points behind Barcelona with Ronaldo scoring 34 goals, second in the league only to Messi who scored 46.
Things didn't go much better in the Champions League either as Real Madrid got knocked out in the semi-finals by underdogs Borussia Dortmund.
They also lost the Copa Del Rey final to Atletico Madrid which meant Real Madrid went trophyless in 2013, the same year Cristiano won his second Ballon d'Or.
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That is the only instance in the last 23 years in which the Ballon d'Or winner hadn't won a trophy for club or country in the period in review. Luis Figo in 2000 was the last time it happened before then.
If the case for Ronaldo winning the 2013 Ballon d'Or without a trophy was his individual excellence, then that makes sense as he scored 55 goals and notched 13 assists in 55 games across all competitions.
That is impressive until the realisation that La Liga winner and top scorer Messi had 60 goals and 17 assists in all competitions in 2012/13 and finished second in the Ballon d'Or race.
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The 2013 Ballon d'Or is fondly remembered as the one in which Franck Ribery was robbed but the Frenchman was only considered good enough for a third-place finish despite playing a pivotal role in Bayern Munich's treble-winning campaign.
Those two guys, with all of their team and individual achievements, were passed up on in favour of Cristiano Ronaldo - so much for "earned not given."
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VIDEO: Messi shows off Ballon d'Or trophy to Inter Miami youngsters
Lionel Messi brought his shiny eighth Ballon d'Or trophy to Inter Miami, leaving everyone stunned.
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Video: Cristiano Ronaldo demands referee replacement, with fans saying "he owns the league"
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21:00 - 31.10.2023
FOOTBALL Ballon d’Or: Five players who can take over after the end of Messi, Ronaldo era
Lionel Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or on Monday, putting him three ahead of his nemesis Cristiano Ronaldo but with the two GOATs exiting the stage, who are next in line to the throne?
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13:33 - 31.10.2023
Ballon d’Or 2023: 10 best dressed stars at awards ceremony (PHOTOS)
Whose appearance caught the eye in Monday night’s Ballon d’Or awards ceremony held in Paris, as Lionel Messi claimed the honour for a record-extending eighth time?
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