The 2023 Ballon d'Or featured a crucial absence with Cristiano Ronaldo not included in the 30-player shortlist for the first time since 2003.
A year later, he was once more omitted from the nominees list for football's top individual prize.
Ronaldo's 2022 move to Al Nassr has pushed him out of the reckoning for the award but his exemption from the wider list also highlights his incredible consistency in the last two decades.
Across two spells at Manchester United, alongside incredible stints at Real Madrid and Juventus, Ronaldo had remained as an ever-present star in the Ballon d'Or battle each year.
He boasts an impressive record in the award's history, alongside his old rival Lionel Messi.
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How many times has Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or?
Ronaldo is the second most successful player in Ballon d'Or history with five titles won from 2008 to 2017 as Messi holds the overall record with eight awards, most recently in 2023.
Four of Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or awards came during his time at Real Madrid but his first arrived in a sensational year at United in 2008.
| 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place |
| 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 | 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018 | 2019 |
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Cristiano Ronaldo Ballon d'Or wins
After finishing second to Kaka in 2007, Ronaldo won his first Ballon d'Or in 2008, as he established himself as a world star at Old Trafford.
However, he was to wait five years for his next award win, as Messi dominated the Ballon d'Or from 2009 to 2012, before Ronaldo won four in five years in Madrid, stretching from 2013 to 2017.
| Year | Club | Trophies won | Age |
| 2008 | Manchester United | 2007/08 Premier League, 2007/08 Champions League | 23 |
| 2013 | Real Madrid | — | 28 |
| 2014 | Real Madrid | 2013/14 Copa del Rey, 2013/14 Champions League, 2014 UEFA Super Cup, 2014 FIFA Club World Cup | 29 |
| 2016 | Real Madrid | 2015/16 Champions League, 2016 FIFA Club World Cup | 31 |
| 2017 | Real Madrid | 2016/17 La Liga, 2017 Supercopa de Espana, 2016/17 Champions League, 2017 UEFA Super Cup, 2017 FIFA Club World Cup | 32 |
Who has won the most Ballon d'Or awards?
| Rank | Player | Ballon d'Or wins | Years won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Lionel Messi | 8 | 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023 |
| 2. | Cristiano Ronaldo | 5 | 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 |
| 3. | Michel Platini | 3 | 1983, 1984, 1985 |
| Johan Cruyff | 3 | 1971, 1973, 1974 | |
| Marco van Basten | 3 | 1988, 1989, 1992 | |
| 6. | Franz Beckenbauer | 2 | 1972, 1976 |
| Ronaldo | 2 | 1997, 2002 | |
| Alfredo Di Stefano | 2 | 1957, 1959 | |
| Kevin Keegan | 2 | 1978, 1979 | |
| Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | 2 | 1980, 1981 |
