How Ballon d’Or winners judge the Messi–Ronaldo rivalry

January 20, 2026 Oliver Obel

For a generation of players and coaches, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were not just rivals they were the reference point. Each season seemed to reset expectations of what elite performance looked like, and the rest of football was forced to keep up.

Their influence is clearest in the Ballon d’Or era they dominated. Between them, Messi and Ronaldo collected 13 awards, turning what had once been an unpredictable honour into a familiar duel. Yet even among those who have lifted the trophy themselves, agreement on who stands above the other has remained elusive.

An analysis compiled by GiveMeSport highlights how former Ballon d’Or winners have approached the debate and what their choices reveal about how greatness is measured inside the game.

A minority backing Ronaldo

Since 1998, only three Ballon d’Or winners have publicly named Cristiano Ronaldo as the superior player: Zinedine Zidane, Michael Owen and Karim Benzema.

Zidane’s position is closely linked to his time coaching Ronaldo at Real Madrid, when the club won three consecutive Champions League titles between 2016 and 2018. Owen, speaking during media appearances after his retirement, focused less on flair and more on physical completeness. “I think Messi is outstanding in certain attributes,” he said, “but as an all-round physique, Ronaldo is such an all-round player.”

Benzema’s view reflects years of shared success in Madrid. The pair spent nearly a decade playing together, developing one of the club’s most productive attacking partnerships, and that familiarity clearly shaped his answer.

Why most winners lean toward Messi

The balance shifts decisively toward Lionel Messi. According to GiveMeSport, eight Ballon d’Or winners including Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Andriy Shevchenko, Fabio Cannavaro, Luka Modrić, Rodri and Ousmane Dembélé have described the Argentine as the era’s defining player.

Their explanations tend to focus on influence rather than physique. Rivaldo, speaking in a 2017 interview, called Messi “the best of the world” and praised his ability to change games in moments. Shevchenko pointed to Messi’s 2012 calendar year, when he scored 91 goals, calling the achievement “unbelievable” during the following year’s awards ceremony.

Others framed the debate more cautiously. Cannavaro suggested in 2013 that while both players were elite scorers, Messi held a slight edge at that point in time. Modrić later went further, describing Messi as the greatest player in football history a view echoed more recently by Rodri and Dembélé, who pointed to creativity and inspiration rather than raw numbers.

Choosing not to choose

Not every winner felt comfortable drawing a line. Luis Figo, Pavel Nedvěd and Kaká all declined to separate the two.

Figo dismissed the idea of choosing outright. “They are both the best in the world,” he said. “I would never choose between them.” Kaká struck a similar tone in interviews around 2018, calling Messi “a genius” and Ronaldo “an icon of modern football,” and suggesting their legacies were defined in different ways rather than ranked.

What the divide shows

Taken together, these views offer less of a verdict and more of a pattern. Those who favour Messi tend to emphasise imagination, rhythm and control of a match. Ronaldo’s supporters point to physical dominance, longevity and decisive performances on the biggest stages.

As GiveMeSport’s reporting makes clear, even among football’s most decorated figures, the debate remains open. That lack of consensus may be the clearest indication of all: this was an era shaped by two players so influential that comparison itself became unavoidable.

Sources: GiveMeSport, Transfermarkt