How many golden balls does Cristiano Ronaldo have and how many does Lionel Messi have?

Until recently when he joined Paris Saint Germain, Lionel Messi had spent all of his professional career at FC Barcelona, a club he joined since he was 13, and is by far the best player to ever wear the jersey of the club. He is superior in numbers to every other player in the club's history.

Cristiano Ronaldo has played for many other European clubs since leaving Sporting Lisbon to join Manchester United as a teenager. He has played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and is now back with Manchester United for a second stint at the age of 36.

The two have opened the greatest sporting rivalry over the last 15 years and have rewritten history, broken records and set many others that will be difficult for the coming generations to break. The two have won most individual awards of any footballer but how do they compare in terms of golden balls?

Lionel Messi has six European golden shoes, that is in six seasons he has scored more goals than any other playing in Europe at that time, while Cristiano Ronaldo has four. Messi has one FIFA World Cup golden ball while Ronaldo has zero. Messi was recently named Copa America best player while Ronaldo did not win Euro best player.