Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? Who has won the most Ballon d'Or

With Lionel Messi as Copa America champion on one side and Italy European champion on the other, the soccer year is over, so it's time to start debating who will be the player to win the Ballon d'Or. The Argentinian champion of America is the strongest candidate but Cristiano Ronaldo is close behind, which of the two is more deserving of the Ballon d'Or 2021
 

It is worth remembering that for the 2020 edition, the magazine that awards the prize, France Football, decided not to present the award due to the pandemic that prevented the normal development of soccer. But for this 2021, things have returned to as much normality as possible, so we will see if Messi manages to take home his seventh trophy (and the second in a row) or we will have a new winner. 

Why Messi should win the Ballon d'Or 2021  

After 28 years without winning the Copa America, Argentina was crowned champion with a 1-0 victory over Brazil in Rio de Janeiro and thus the first title for Lionel Messi in the Senior National Team. Messi was fundamental in his team throughout the cup, he showed himself to be a tough player and his personality was up to the task. Always present and with key performances, he took Argentina to the final and won the long-awaited title and thus, the Argentine National Team arrives with hopes for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

Why does Cristiano Ronaldo have to win the Ballon d'Or?  

Cristiano Ronaldo is another of the top candidates for this year's top award. The Portuguese striker turned 36 in February and, in doing so, continues to prove that age is no impediment to being one of the best. Although his season has not received the prominence of yesteryear, his numbers are indisputable. 

In total, he has scored 36 goals in 44 games for Juventus. However, the "Vecchia Signora", for the first time in almost 10 years, has failed to be crowned Serie A champion. Likewise, the fate of CR7 and his club in the Champions League took another 180-degree turn after their elimination at the hands of Porto. Ultimately, the collective performance of his team may be the biggest point of criticism in the face of a possible Cristiano victory.

History of the Ballon d'Or

Ballon d'Or is an award given annually by the French specialized magazine France Football,1 it is considered the highest individual honor at the soccer level in the world. 23 Given uninterruptedly since 1956, from 2009 it was merged with the counterpart FIFA World Player award to designate the best footballer until the two awards were separated again in 2016.

In 2020, because of the coronavirus, France Football decided not to present the award in this edition. Established in 1956 by the then director of the magazine and precursor of the European Cup, Gabriel Hanot, the award was initially aimed exclusively at players with a European nationality, the first winner being the Englishman Stanley Matthews, who in that year played for Blackpool Football Club.5 A jury made up exclusively of specialized journalists from the world's leading sports publications determines the winners of the award.

Until 1995, it was awarded to the best player registered each year in a European professional soccer championship and whose nationality was from a country in that zone, which is why it was also known as the Trophy for the European Footballer of the Year Abroad (in French, Trophée du footballeur européen de l'année à l'étranger) when it was established,6 although the name Ballon d'Or was soon adopted because of its image.