Cristiano Ronaldo wins fifth Ballon d'Or to pull level with Lionel Messi

Published on: 07 December 2017

Stevie Nicol feels Cristiano Ronaldo is well deserving of his fifth Ballon d'Or, which now ties him for most all-time with Lionel Messi. Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in all six Champions League group stage matches with this fine finish against Dortmund. Real Madrid's Zinedine Zidane says there's plenty still to come from Cristiano Ronaldo this season despite his slow start. ESPN FC's Gab Marcotti breaks down the top 10 forwards according to the ESPN FC 100 list. Will Messi or Ronaldo take top spot? As Cristiano Ronaldo continues to struggle, Alejandro Moreno pinpoints the other areas of concern for Real Madrid.

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo won the fifth Ballon d'Or of his career on Thursday, matching Lionel Messi as the most-awarded winner of one of the sport's top individual honours.

Ronaldo won the award for the second consecutive time after a year that saw him help Madrid to a third Champions League crown in four seasons and a first La Liga title in five years, as well as the FIFA Club World Cup.

The 32-year-old scored twice as Madrid beat Juventus 4-1 in the Champions League final in June, while also finishing top scorer in the competition with 12 goals.

Ronaldo beat fellow finalists Messi and Neymar for the award. He previously won in 2008, 2013, 2014 and 2016, while Messi won the award four straight times from 2009-12 as well as in 2015.

A global panel of journalists vote for the award, which is organised by France Football magazine after a split from a partnership with FIFA that ran from 2010-15.

  Cristiano Ronaldo added to his trophy cabinet on Thursday with his fifth Ballon d'Or.

This season, Ronaldo became the first player in history to score a goal in each of the six Champions League group games, when he netted Madrid's second against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night.

The goal took him to 114 career goals in 146 Champions League games -- another of his personal records, but his wider form has been a cause for concern this season.

Although he has scored nine goals in the Champions League, he has only managed two goals and two assists in 10 La Liga appearances, with Madrid eight points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona after 14 games.

But Ronaldo, who welcomed his fourth child last month, told L'Equipe last month that he's eager to win two more Ballons d'Or, saying: "I want seven children and as many Ballons d'Or. As long as I play, I'll have the ambition to win all I can.

"So, my dream is the fifth Ballon d'Or. And, next year, there will be another one to look for."

Complete 2017 Ballon d'Or rankings with club/country:

1: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Portugal)
2-3: Lionel Messi and Neymar, order not immediately announced
4: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus/Italy)
5: Luka Modric (Real Madrid/Croatia)
6: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid/Spain)
7: Kylian Mbappe (Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain/France)
8: N'Golo Kante (Chelsea/France)
9: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich/Poland)
10: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur/England)
11: Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain/Uruguay)
12: Isco (Real Madrid/Spain)
13: Luis Suarez (Barcelona/Uruguay)
14: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City/Belgium)
15: Paulo Dybala (Juventus/Argentina)
16: Marcelo (Real Madrid/Brazil)
17: Toni Kroos (Real Madrid/Germany)
18: Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid/France)
19: Eden Hazard (Chelsea/Belgium)
20: David De Gea (Manchester United/Spain)
t-21: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund/Gabon)
t-21: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus, AC Milan/Italy)
23: Sadio Mane (Liverpool/Senegal)
24: Radamel Falcao (Monaco/Colombia)
25: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/France)
26: Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid/Slovenia)
27: Mats Hummels (Bayern Munich/Germany)
28: Edin Dzeko (Roma/Bosnia and Herzegovina)
t-29: Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool/Brazil)
t-29: Dries Mertens (Napoli/Belgium)

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Source: espn.co.uk

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