Cristiano Ronaldo: Lionel Messi will win the 2015 Ballon d'Or
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Updated 13/11/2015 at 09:44 GMT
Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted defeat in the 2015 Ballon d’Or race, conceding that long-time rival Lionel Messi will take the award this year.
Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona's Lionel Messi
Image credit: Reuters
Ronaldo outscored Messi in La Liga by 48 goals to 43 last season, and by eight to three this season, but while the Real Madrid star ended 2014-15 without a trophy, Messi led Barcelona to the treble.
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Ronaldo believes that his two-year streak of Ballon d’Or wins is coming to an end as a result.
The bauble is something of an obsession for Madrid’s all-time record goalscorer and he won the FIFA Ballon d’Or in 2013 and 2014 as well as lifting the award’s predessor in 2008.
However, Messi won in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 and looks certain to extend his record to five.
“To be honest I think Messi is going to win,” Ronaldo said on The Jonathan Ross Show. “This kind of trophy depends on votes and he won competitions. He won the Champions League and La Liga.
“I have a normal relationship (with Messi). No-one did that in the past, only us. So it's good, I have a good relationship with him. We are not old friends but we respect each other.”
Ronaldo did collect the Golden Shoe award as the record goalscorer in all of Europe’s leagues last season though and says he had a fulfilling campaign on a personal level.
“In terms of individual (performances) I probably did the best season of my career, which is good. I was the highest scorer in Europe,” Ronaldo added.
“It's all about votes. It's difficult. To be honest I'm not very worried about that because I never thought I'd win three times. To win it once is incredible.”
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