Lionel Messi told he would have 15 Ballon d’Ors if he copied Cristiano Ronaldo strategy

Lionel Messi has been told that he could have had up to 15 Ballon d’Or awards if he had copied a strategy used by Cristiano Ronaldo in his career.

Messi and Ronaldo have dominated the Ballon d’Or rankings for the past 15 years, with Messi collecting a record eight awards.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, has scooped the prize on five separate occasions, with 2023 being the first time he had failed to be among the nominees for 20 years.

The days of the duo battling it out for the Ballon d’Or now appears to be over, with Messi playing for Inter Miami in the MLS and Ronaldo in action for Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr.

Their individual numbers are still incredible – and Messi has won three international trophies with Argentina and a Ballon d’Or since December 2022, and Ronaldo was the top goalscorer of 2023 in selected world top divisions.

But with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland ushering in a new era, a changing of the guard appears likely soon.

It is hard to pick fault with the careers of Messi or Ronaldo given their dominance of world football over much of the current century.

However, Manchester United icon Patrice Evra believes the Argentinian could have won even more Ballon d’Ors during his illustrious career – if he was a bit more like his great rival.

After telling Rio Ferdinand that he preferred his former team-mate Ronaldo to Messi, Evra explained on the FIVE YouTube channel: “I want to explain why I say Ronaldo every time.

“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.”