Sport Update

Sports Update Can anyone stop Messi now? Ronaldo’s Ballon d’Or dreams surely over following Ajax humiliation

Ronaldo Messi

Juventus' Champions League exit paves the way for the Barcelona star to beat his arch-rival to a record sixth Ballon d'Or

It may seem strange now but there was a time when the Ballon d’Or and the Champions League did not go hand-in-hand.

It’s a connection that Cristiano Ronaldo certainly enjoys, with four of his five wins have come after lifting the European Cup.

Last year, though, the Portuguese was beaten to the prize by his former Real Madrid team-mate Luka Modric, who thus became the first player other than Ronaldo or Messi to win the Ballon d'Or since Kaka in 2008.

Ronaldo is now facing further disappointment, with new club Juventus having crashed out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals.

One has to go all the way back to 2006 to find the last Ballon d'Or recipient not to have at least reached the last four of Europe’s elite competition – and even then, Fabio Cannavaro’s World Cup win meant there were few complaints about his triumph.

Ronaldinho may have lifted the Confederations Cup with Brazil the year before but his only major honor that season was the Liga title.

Still, the forward's 13 goals, 16 assists, and iconic skillset helped him claim the ultimate individual prize – despite his Barcelona side being eliminated at the last-16 stage of the Champions League.

That would be the equivalent of Kylian Mbappe winning the 2019 Ballon d’Or with nothing more than a Ligue 1 winners' medal to his name.

Of course, team trophies don't always guarantee Ballon d'Or success. There was an uproar when treble-winners Wesley Sneijder and Franck Ribery were overlooked in 2010 and 2013, respectively.

And it is this 'But what has he won?' mentality which still dominates today, which is precisely why Ronaldo’s dream to become the first player to win the accolade six times looks to be over, with Messi in pole position to do exactly that and claim the prize for the first time since 2015.

“Even if he doesn't win the Champions League, Messi already deserves the Ballon d'Or,” Rivaldo said just this week.