The long-standing rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi has been the defining feature of modern-day football. The two players have consistently outperformed each other regarding goals scored, assists, and awards won. However, their biggest battle has been for the prestigious Ballon d’Or award, each winning multiple times.
However, a deeper look into their points tallies reveals an exciting discrepancy – Ronaldo has 200 more points than Messi despite having won fewer honors. SportingPost.comreports that he has accumulated 3781 points for five awards, while Messi earned 3574 points for seven. This means that despite having fewer overall wins, Ronaldo has accumulated significantly higher points.
This may come as a surprise to many fans since Messi is widely considered to be the better player overall. So how does Ronaldo have more points than his rival? To understand this discrepancy, it’s essential to consider how these points are calculated.
How are Ballon d’Or Points Calculated?
The Ballon d’Or is awarded to the best male footballer each calendar year and is voted for by national team coaches, national team captains, and select journalists worldwide. These votes determine the winner of this prestigious honor and who will top the leaderboard for that year’s award. The points system considers individual and team performance over the season.
Each year, the best players worldwide are nominated for the award based on their performances. The top three players receive various numbers of points depending on their ranking – first place earns five points, second place earns three points, and third place earns one point. These points are then added up over a period of time to decide who wins the award.
SportingPost CEO Freddie Smith has shared his thoughts on the award. He holds, “The Ballon d’Or is a subjective award, and personal opinions and biases can influence the decisions made by the voting panel. Different panelists may place different levels of importance on factors such as individual statistics, team performance, and overall impact on the sport.”
Ballon d’Or Controversies
The Ballon d’Or award is no stranger to controversy. While the judging criteria are subjective, there have also been allegations of behind-the-scenes politics when determining the winner. Some even argue that particular players may get preferential treatment due to their status within certain football leagues.
This issue has caused much hand-wringing amongst fans and pundits alike. In 2013, for instance, France Football awarded Cristiano Ronaldo the title despite some quarters feeling he had less impressive stats than fellow nominee Franck Ribery.
Most recently, Robert Lewandowski lost the title in 2020 despite his stellar performances for Bayern Munich. The awards committee scrapped the year’s award, blaming the CoronaVirus Pandemic. That decision didn’t go down well with many football enthusiasts, and even Messi referred to it While receiving his record 7th honor.
These concerns compelled the event’s organizers to institute changes in determining the eventual winner. The hope is that the process will be more transparent going forward.
