"Would probably have like 15 Ballon d'Ors" - When Patrice Evra made bold claim while comparing Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
Patric Evra once claimed that Lionel Messi would have had 15 Ballon d'Or trophies if he had the same work ethic as Cristiano Ronaldo. The pair currently have a total of 13 Ballon d'Ors between them, with Messi winning eight of those.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, has won five, with his first coming in 2008 when he was a teammate of Evra at Manchester United. The individual honor has regularly sparked debates over whether it favors one position over another and if it actually values individual achievements over team honors.
But the fact is that Karim Benzema (2022) and Luka Modric (2018) are the only footballers not named Ronaldo or Messi to have won the prestigious honor since 2008. Evra believes that while Messi had the natural talent, he didn't quite match his arch-rivals' work ethic.
Speaking with Rio Ferdinand on the Vibe with FIVE podcast back in March 2013, the former France and Manchester United left-back said (via GOAL):
"I want to explain why I say Ronaldo every time [when asked to choose between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi]. It's not because he's our brother it's because I'm in love with work ethic. I feel like Messi, god just gave him a talent and Cristiano had to work for it. He had the talent but he had to work for it.
"If Messi had the same work ethic as Ronaldo, he would probably have like 15 Ballon d'Ors today. I'm just in love with people working hard so that's why I pick Ronaldo over Messi." [14:13]
Ronaldo, 39, last won the award in 2017, when Messi and Neymar Jr. finished second and third, respectively.
Cristiano Ronaldo on Ballon d'Or: "I no longer believe in these awards"
Cristiano Ronaldo stated earlier this year that he no longer believed in the credibility of the Ballon d'Or and The Best FIFA awards. His comments came on the night he won the Fans' Favourite Player of the Year and the Best Middle East Player awards at the Globe Soccer Awards in January this year.
Those two awards were decided by fans' votes, while Ronaldo also picked up the Maradona Award for finishing 2023 as the top scorer in world football (54 goals). Notably, Lionel Messi won his record-extending Ballon d'Or last year after he led Argentina to a 2022 FIFA World Cup win in Qatar.
Although the Portuguese legend didn't say that Messi didn't deserve to win it, he did raise concerns about the award's credibility, telling Record (via SI.com):
"Ballon d'Or and The Best are losing credibility. Numbers are reality. We have to analyze the entire season. It's not to say that Messi didn't deserve the award, or Haaland or even [Kylian] Mbappe. I simply no longer believe in these awards.
"It's not because I won at the Globe Soccer but these are facts, numbers are there and they don't deceive. They can't take this trophy away from me because it is a reality. I'm happier because the numbers are facts."
Although Messi just won it in 2023, many believe the Ronaldo-Messi domination in the Ballon d'Ors is over. The Portuguese superstar is currently playing in Saudi Arabia at Al-Nassr, while Messi is plying his trade in the MLS with Inter Miami.