Beyond Messi & Ronaldo: How would the Ballon d'Or look if you could only win it once?


REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

Imagine a world in which the Ballon d’Or can only be awarded to an individual once. 

For the last ten years, it’s been inevitable that the award is going to be given to either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo: being give to one or the other for the last ten years. Mostly this has been fully deserved, although sometimes there has been controversy involved in the selection.

This isn't to chip away at how football-defining their performances have been. However, the predictability has ruined the Ballon d’Or somewhat.

Here at RealSport, we decided to look back at the last decade, speculate a bit and select alternative Ballon d’Or winners on the premise that a player can win the award only once.

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