Ballon d’Or: Cristiano Ronaldo ranks ahead of Messi despite his eight trophies

A statistical study of Ballon d’Or history, presented by Santi García Cremades, ranks Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Lionel Messi based on their placements across different editions. Ronaldo has 460 points compared with Messi’s 450 under a system that awards points for annual rankings. Messi still leads in Ballon d’Or trophies, with eight to Ronaldo’s five, and has a higher average points total per appearance.