Lionel Messi’s most recent wins of important individual honours have been minimised by Cristiano Ronaldo. For more than 15 years, the two have been in a fierce rivalry for football championships at the highest levels.
With a total of 13 Ballon d’Ors between them, only Luka Modric and Karim Benzema have broken the duopoly of awards since 2008. After Argentina won the World Cup the previous year, Messi moved three points clear of his adversary when he won his eighth Ballon d’Or on October 30 of that year.
Before accepting the trophy himself in a conversation with Record, via Timeline CR7, Ronaldo dismissed it with a joke in an Instagram message.
Messi won both of these prizes in the previous year and then another FIFA Best award this past week. Despite Erling Haaland’s Manchester City star completing the treble with Manchester City, he defeated him every time.
Only a few hours after taking home three Globe Soccer Awards in 2023, Ronaldo agreed to the interview. The legendary Portuguese player took home the Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer, Best Middle Eastern Player, and Player of the Year chosen by the fans.
The Argentine frequently posts a thank-you message on his Instagram account following the receipt of individual and team awards, but it has been six days since he took home FIFA’s top prize before he did so.
Many people were upset when Messi defeated Erling Haaland, who had won three straight titles, to win the 2023 title since the 2022 World Cup was not taken into account when casting votes.
