Cristiano Ronaldo is hailed as one of modern time’s best soccer players. The Portuguese born 28 year old recently won not one, but four coveted Ballon d’Or trophies in a career highlight which will stay with him for the rest of his life.
The fact that he has done so in the era of the great Lionel Messi even further displays his extraordinary talent.
Tremendous Form
Up to the winning of the most recent trophy, Cristiano Ronaldo has been in tremendous form on the field scoring 10 goals in Real Madrid’s last five 2016/17 Champions League games; five against Bayern Munich in the quarter-final, three against Atletico Madrid in the semi-final and a pair against Juventus’ incredible defence in the decider.
On top of that, he also netted six incredible balls in Real’s last five games while they were ascending their way to their first Spanish top flight title win since 2012. In total Ronaldo scored 42 goals and assisted another 12 strikes in 46 appearances for Real in the 2017 season.
Top Two Players In The World
All of this led up to the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo has now won the Ballon d’Or as many times as Messi has, making the two men the top two soccer players in the world. This is an incredible achievement for someone who is only 28 years old.
The FIFA Ballon d’Or
For those who have been living under a rock, the Ballon d’Or is a trophy handed out to the world’s best men’s players by FIFA. Literally meaning “The Golden Ball”, this trophy has been in play since 1956, with only one man winning more than three of them up until now.
To win the trophy, you have to be chosen by a panel of international sports journalists, coaches, and team captains.
These influential men all vote, and then the winner is decided. Pretty much since 2010, there have only been two winners: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and the online betting offers that top sportsbooks feature always focus on these two as the favourites.
How Does One Win It?
To win the Ballon d’Or, one has to have more than just technique. If this was the only category in play then Adel Taarabt may have won a Ballon d’Or, and Georgiou Kinkladze would have won five.
Both of the winners of the most recent awards have a selection of great traits that deservedly earned them the titles of best players of the year.
On-the-ball technique, finesse in the finish, strong unwavering personal belief, a winning and gentlemanly mentality, great physical capacities and the knowledge of how best to use it—and more important than all of the above; unrivaled, relentless consistency.
The latter, consistency, is what has made Messi and Ronaldo the top players of our time. They prove repeatedly not only their worth but also their incredible skill and record-breaking gameplay.
What’s To Come?
It’s a lucky thing that Messi and Ronaldo don’t both play for the same team, as very possibly the other teams in the league may just throw up their hand in disgust and give up if that was the case.
Realistically, the future for both stars is phenomenally bright. The rivalry between the two will drive them to keep outdoing each other’s achievements, leaving the rest of the world to simply watch in wonder.