REUTERS/Ruben Sprich
In the modern era, it certainly feels as though no individual prize in football is more sought after than the Ballon d'Or. Trent Alexander-Arnold once even claimed he'd rather win the award than lift the World Cup (which may help explain why Thomas Tuchel didn't take him to the 2026 tournament).
It certainly is something all young players strive to win these days. And who could blame them for wanting to follow in the footsteps of legends like Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, and Zinedine Zidane?
More so than those older names, however, the current crop are likely desperate to emulate the success of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. With 13 Ballon d'Or wins between them, they are the most successful players in the prize's history.
With that in mind, it's rather interesting that Ronaldo once claimed a different individual prize was more important to him.
Ballon d'Or Power Rankings
Ballon d'Or Power Rankings
Action Images / Carl Recine
Ronaldo won his first Ballon d'Or in 2008 after a spectacular season at Manchester United. This helped him seal a move to Real Madrid, where he won the prize on four more occasions (2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017).
Many feel as though his rivalry with Messi drove him to a new level of success. The Argentine was named the world's best player on a record eight occasions (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, and 2023).
Despite the prestige of the award, it's rather interesting that in October 2015 – nine months after lifting the 2014 Ballon d'Or, and just months before he would see Messi win the 2015 award – Ronaldo claimed that the European Golden Shoe was more important to him. As quoted by Goal, he told De Telegraaf:
"The competition for the Golden Shoe also comes from other leagues. There are some fantastic strikers around in England and Germany. There are Wayne Rooney and [Sergio] Aguero in the Premier League and obviously Robert Lewandowski in the Bundesliga.
"But don't forget Karim Benzema here at Real Madrid and Luis Suarez at Barcelona. Benzema is playing very well this season and Suarez has already won the trophy once while at Liverpool.
Ronaldo Had Won More Golden Shoes Than Messi, But That Soon Changed
Lionel Messi of Barcelona celebrates scoring vs Manchester United
Lionel Messi of Barcelona celebrates scoring vs Manchester United
When Ronaldo was speaking, Messi was winning the Ballon d’Or race, with four triumphs compared to the Portuguese star's three. What's more, Ronaldo had won his fourth European Golden Shoe for 2014/15, while the Argentine had only claimed that prize on three occasions.
All that might explain why Ronaldo felt that it was the more important award. Ironically, neither man would win it in 2015/16, with Luis Suarez picking it up for the second time in his career after bagging 40 goals with Barcelona.
Ronaldo would fail to win the award again in his career, but Messi would pick it up three more times to take his overall European Golden Shoe tally to six, compared to Ronaldo's four.