Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has beaten longstanding rival Lionel Messi to an impressive Ballon d'Or record.
Click through the mini-gallery above to see images of Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or wins.
The 33-year-old was named as one of the 30 nominees for this year's Golden Ball. As a consequence, Ronaldo became the first player to be on the shortlist for the coveted prize for a 15th successive year, according to France Football.
His longstanding rival Messi follows in second place after receiving his 13th consecutive nomination. Both have won the Golden Ball five times, with the award handed out as the FIFA Ballon d'Or between 2010 and 2015.
It remains to be seen if either of the pair will lift this year's accolade, with Luka Modric considered the favourite after already being named UEFA Player of the Year and FIFA's The Best Men's Player 2018.
Here is a full history of Messi and Ronaldo's award nominations and what position they finished in:
|
Year |
Ronaldo |
Messi |
|
2004 |
12 |
Not nominated |
|
2005 |
20 |
Not nominated |
|
2006 |
14 |
20 |
|
2007 |
2 |
3 |
|
2008 |
winner |
2 |
|
2009 |
2 |
winner |
|
2010 |
6 |
winner |
|
2011 |
2 |
winner |
|
2012 |
2 |
winner |
|
2013 |
winner |
2 |
|
2014 |
winner |
2 |
|
2015 |
2 |
winner |
|
2016 |
winner |
2 |
|
2017 |
winner |
2 |
|
2018 |
? |
? |
Read: Neymar Names His 3 Ballon d'Or Favourites, Snubs Modric
Who do you think will win this year's Ballon d'Or? Have your say in the comments section below.
