Sometimes, the Ballon d’Or race is a one-sided affair.
When Lionel Messi won the award for the third time in 2011, he claimed 47.88% of the vote, more than double the tally of his closest rival, Cristiano Ronaldo. Five years later, Ronaldo got his revenge, winning the 2016 award with 745 votes to Messi’s 316 following the end of the FIFA-Ballon d’Or partnership.