Ronaldo sweeps Messi in a historic Ballon d'Or referendum

Listen to the article. The audio text is automated, generated by an automated system

The eternal rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has returned to the fore, after France Football magazine launched a public poll to choose the greatest Ballon d'Or winner in history.

10 legends who have won the award at least twice will compete in the poll, led by Messi and Ronaldo, along with Ronaldo Nazario (1997 and 2002), Marco van Basten (1988, 1989, 1992), Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Kevin Keegan, and Alfredo Di Stefano.

Voting began in early October and continues until midnight on October 27, Paris time, in the French capital, where participants are asked to choose a specific season in each legend’s career.

According to the Argentine newspaper TYC, what is striking about the referendum is that each vote costs one euro, in exchange for entering the draw for two tickets to this year’s Golden Ball ceremony and obtaining an iconic picture for the prize.

The system also allows multiple voting for the same candidate, with the possibility of monitoring percentages directly, which raises questions about the reliability of the results.

Until now, Ronaldo's 2008 Ballon d'Or tops the scene with 62% of the votes, and it is the first of five Ballon d'Ors that he won with a Manchester United shirt.

On the other hand, Messi's 2012 Golden Ball won only 13%, even though it came in an exceptional year during which he scored 91 goals in 69 matches and won the award for the fourth time in a row.

The Argentine star's tally is dispersed among the eight versions in which he was crowned, and Messi's Golden Ball for the year 2023, after winning the World Cup with Argentina, came in third place with a rate of 9%, which is the season in which he achieved the French and Super League titles with Paris Saint-Germain, scoring 21 goals and 20 assists in 41 matches.