Every player Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have voted to win Ballon d'Or since 2010

The Ballon d'Or ballots have frequently featured Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at the top for the past two decades. However, it's intriguing to consider whom the two footballing legends would deem worthy of the award, with neither superstar among the nominees to win the 2025 prize when it's revealed in Paris on Monday.

Messi and Ronaldo have dominated the Ballon d'Or in the modern age, claiming 13 of the past 16 awards since 2008. In fact, from 2008 to 2017, no other player apart from Messi or Ronaldo received the accolade. During the period from 2006 to 2015, the players themselves had a say in deciding the Ballon d'Or winner through their votes. This responsibility was then handed back to a panel of 100 journalists representing their respective federations from 2016 onwards. However, both Ronaldo and Messi have continued to influence the outcome of FIFA's 'The Best' award. This rival prize, determined by a combination of national team coaches, captains and journalists, provides some insight into who they've rated the best in class each year.

Interestingly, neither Ronaldo nor Messi voted for each other until they were well into the primes of their careers. Messi was the first to break this trend when he nominated Ronaldo in 2018 (third) and 2019 (second), while Ronaldo reciprocated with a single vote for Messi in 2020 (second).

It's to be expected both football icons have traditionally favoured their club and international team-mates in the ballot. For example, Messi's early years of voting were dominated by names like Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Argentinian countryman Sergio Aguero.

Ronaldo, 40, demonstrated his own bias over time by supporting past team-mates like Gareth Bale, Mesut Ozil and Sergio Ramos. However, it's worth noting that the Portugal captain's first two recorded first-place votes for the Ballon d'Or went to Barcelona legend Xavi and Radamel Falcao, who was playing for Atletico Madrid at the time.

This voting history itself showed integrity at the time, nominating players despite their rivalries with Real Madrid. However, his loyalties became more apparent over the years as players like Bale, Karim Benzema, Ramos and Luka Modric took precedence.

The same could be said for Messi, with Luis Suarez and Neymar, the other two members of the iconic 'MSN' Barca front line, dominating his voting. However, he too demonstrated fairness by giving Modric his first-place vote in 2018 and backing then-Liverpool winger Sadio Mane for FIFA's The Best prize in 2019.

Messi's top vote for Lamine Yamal to win the award last year didn't succeed, though he did place eventual winner Vinicius Junior third in his ranking. Meanwhile, Ronaldo hasn't participated in the ballot in the last three years, with Portugal's Bernardo Silva instead taking on that honour.

Lionel Messi voting history

FIFA Ballon d'Or (first, second, third)

2010: No vote

2011: Xavi, Iniesta, Sergio Aguero

2012: Iniesta, Xavi, Aguero

2013: Iniesta, Xavi, Neymar

2014: Angel Di Maria, Iniesta, Javier Mascherano

2015: Luis Suarez, Neymar, Iniesta

FIFA 'The Best':

2016: Suarez, Neymar, Iniesta

2017: Suarez, Iniesta, Neymar

2018: Luka Modric, Kylian Mbappe, Ronaldo

2019: Sadio Mane, Ronaldo, Frenkie de Jong

2020: Neymar, Mbappe, Robert Lewandowski

2021: Neymar, Mbappe, Karim Benzema

2022: Neymar, Mbappe, Benzema

2023: Erling Haaland, Mbappe, Julian Alvarez

2024: Lamine Yamal, Mbappe, Vinicius Junior

Cristiano Ronaldo voting history

FIFA Ballon d'Or:

2010: Xavi, Iker Casillas, Wesley Sneijder

2011: No vote

2012: No vote

2013: Radamel Falcao, Bale, Ozil

2014: Sergio Ramos, Bale, Benzema

2015: Benzema, James Rodriguez, Bale

FIFA's 'The Best':

2016: Bale, Modric, Ramos

2017: Modric, Ramos, Marcelo

2018: Raphael Varane, Modric, Antoine Griezmann

2019: Matthijs de Ligt, De Jong, Mbappe

2020: Lewandowski, Messi, Mbappe

2021: Lewandowski, N'Golo Kante, Jorginho

2022: No vote

2023: No vote

2024: No vote