Did Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi ever vote for each other in Ballon d'Or or FIFA The Best Awards? Full list of votes revealed

Superstar forwards Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are widely considered two of the best players in the history of football. The pair headlined one of the greatest individual sporting rivalries over the past decade and a half, setting unbelievable records and winning numerous accolades.

Having played for world-class sides like Barcelona and PSG, the Argentine icon has bagged an eye-watering 874 goals and 388 assists in 1116 appearances for club and country. On the other hand, the Portuguese legend, who appeared for Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus, has racked up an unbelievable 938 goals and 257 assists in 1281 career appearances.

The pair dominated the Ballon d'Or between 2008 and 2021, winning 13 out of the 14 titles awarded during that period. Messi won the coveted golden ball on a record eight occasions, while Ronaldo lifted the award five times.

Since its inception in 2016, the Argentine maestro and the Portuguese marksman have also dominated FIFA's The Best Men's Player title. The former won the award three times, while the latter did it twice.

Throughout their rivalry, the two showcased incredible respect for each other on the field and in interviews. Yet, they never voted for each other at any award ceremony until 2018.

At FIFA's The Best awards that year, Messi gave Ronaldo a third-place ranking in his vote for The Best Men's Player. The Portuguese attacker returned the favour two years later, ranking the diminutive Argentine second in his vote for the 2020 edition of the award (via SportBible).

Despite nearing the twilight of their careers, Messi and Ronaldo have continued to assert their dominance for MLS side Inter Miami and Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Nassr respectively. However, it is highly unlikely that either of them adds to their Ballon d'Or tally before they hang up their boots.

"It hurt a little" - When Lionel Messi admitted what he felt after Cristiano Ronaldo equalled his record of five Ballon d'Or titles

In 2017, Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo won his second consecutive Ballon d'Or title after a splendid season for Real Madrid. It was the fifth time he lifted the golden ball, equalling the record set by long-time archrival Lionel Messi in 2015.

With Luka Modric winning the 2018 award after leading Croatia to the FIFA World Cup final, Messi had to wait before he could attempt to retake his record. However, just one year later (2019), the Argentine maestro won his sixth Ballon d'Or title ahead of Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk and Ronaldo.

At the ceremony, the ex-Barcelona forward admitted that the Portuguese marksman deserved to pull level with him, but claimed that it 'hurt a little'. He said (via Bleacher Report h/t Marca):

"When Cristiano Ronaldo pulled level with me, I'll admit that it hurt a little as I was no longer alone at the top. But, at that moment he deserved the Ballon d'Or and I couldn't do much more about it. I understand why I didn't win, as we hadn't won the UEFA Champions League... When Cristiano was winning all the (individual) trophies it was because he'd had really good seasons and had been winning the Champions League, being decisive as his team did so."

Messi went on to extend his record further, adding two more Ballon d'Or titles to his cabinet in 2021 and 2023.

Edited by Aaryan Nagraj