In a fan’s calculation of the “Super Ballon d’Or,” Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are ranked alongside other legends. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been ranked.
Alfredo Di Stefano received this highly prestigious award only once in its history, in 1989.
Notably, the super award, which was only open to European players, was given out by France Football magazine to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Di Stefano, a legend at Real Madrid who held Spanish citizenship and was chosen over Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini, took home the trophy.
However, some fans are of the opinion that the unique award ought to be reinstated in order to honor the best player of the current era. Naturally, this will include superstars like Ronaldo and Messi.
The list was compiled and calculated by a Reddit enthusiast based solely on players’ Ballon d’Or performances since 1990. It should come as no surprise that Messi, who has won seven Ballons d’Or, leads the list, with Ronaldo just behind him in second place.
Fans have debated and been surprised by the rankings, with some arguing that some players should be higher or lower on the list.
Here is the list (via Sport Bible):
- Lionel Messi
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Ronaldo Nazario
- Zinedine Zidane
- Andriy Shevchenko
- Roberto Baggio & Lothar Matthäus
- Hristo Stoichkov
- Robert Lewandowski
- Ronaldinho
- Rivaldo
- Kaka
- Luis Figo & Luka Modric
- Thierry Henry
- Andres Iniesta & Matthias Sammer
- Karim Benzema & Michael Owen
- Pavel Nedved
- Marco van Basten, Jean-Pierre Papin , George Weah , Fabio Cannavaro & Xavi Hernandez
- Dennis Bergkamp
- Neymar
- Raul
- Paolo Maldini.
- Jurgen Klinsmann, David Beckham & Gianluigi Buffon.
- Roberto Carlos
- Sadio Mane
- Davor Suker & Dejan Savićevic
- Darko Pančev, Salvatore Schillaci, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Deco, Predrag Mijatović, Oliver Kahn, Frank Lampard , Antoine Griezmann & Virgil van Dijk
- Didier Drogba & Kylian Mbappe
- Steven Gerrard, Kevin De Bruyne & Mo Salah
- Iker Casillas, Andrea Pirlo & Samuel Eto’o
- Luis Suarez, Jari Litmanen , Eric Cantona , Alessandro Del Piero & Gabriel Batistuta
There is no assurance that a Super Ballon d’Or will be awarded this time around. Luis Suarez, Jari Litmanen, Eric Cantona, Alessandro Del Piero, and Gabriel Batistuta But if France Football goes ahead with it, it won’t come as a surprise if Messi wins because the legend has won seven Ballons d’Or.
Robert Lewandowski has backed Lionel Messi to beat Cristiano Ronaldo and others to another Ballon d’Or award
Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski has openly supported Blaugrana legend Lionel Messi as the potential winner of this season’s Ballon d’Or award. He has backed Messi to beat Cristiano Ronaldo and others to another award. According to the Polish striker, the Argentine playmaker’s blistering performances at the FIFA World Cup would be crucial to winning the award.
Lewandowski admitted to El Mundo Deportivo that there is now a clear favorite:
“That’s right. There might be one more player who plays for the same team, but there is only one World Cup that determines who will win it this season. Leo is certain to be at the top because of what he has accomplished, which means everything to him. He can now relish it.“
This season, Ronaldo is almost certainly out of the running for the Ballon d’Or. After Manchester United terminated his contract, he is now free to sign elsewhere.