On December 7, Cristiano Ronaldo won a new Ballon d'Or from FIFA, beating Lionel Messi and Neymar. With this award, the Portuguese forward for Real Madrid now has five, equaling the record of Argentina's F.C. Barcelona Messi, who won his fifth Ballon d'Or in 2015.
As this Statista infographic shows, the struggle between the "merengue" and "culé" player is just one example of the dispute maintained by the clubs protagonists of the famous Spanish League classic. And the victory of the Portuguese footballer leaves Real Madrid just one Ballon d'Or behind F.C. Barcelona, which continues to lead the ranking, having been proclaimed winner on eleven occasions.
The difference increases a bit more when talking about the number of times players from both teams have been among the three final candidates to win such a distinction. In total, Barça has 32 podiums, while in the case of the team currently coached by Zidane, this figure is reduced to 26. Beyond the Spanish battle, it is worth highlighting the role played by Italian teams. Of the nine teams that have won more than one Ballon d'Or since the inauguration of this award in 1956, three clubs from this Mediterranean country are found, accumulating 18 Ballons d'Or among them all.
More statistics at Statista
Add The New Barcelona Post as your preferred Google source for free
Stay informed with the latest news.
