Throughout the 2010s, the Ballon d’Or was defined by the rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who won the award nine times between them. The closest challenger during that period was Franck Ribery, who finished third in 2013 despite leading Bayern Munich to a historic treble.
That year, Ronaldo claimed the trophy with 27.99% of the vote, edging Messi (24.72%) and Ribery (23.36%). The result sparked controversy, with several international managers later alleging discrepancies between their submitted ballots and FIFA’s published results. Kuwait coach Jorvan Vieira and Fiji’s Juan Carlos Buzzetti were among those to question the process, though no proof of fraud was ever found.
Reflecting on the outcome, Ribery said:
«I have won everything with the team and individually. Ronaldo won nothing. I feel I deserved this title. There are so many politics.»
Now, attention turns to the 2025 Ballon d’Or race, which promises to be just as competitive. Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele is widely tipped as the frontrunner, but Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah are also in contention. Last year, Manchester City’s Rodri narrowly beat Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior to the crown, setting the stage for another dramatic finish.
Kursiv Uzbekistan has gathered everything you need to know about the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony.
