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Why Ronaldo beat Messi, Neuer to Ballon d’or 2014

– the goals, assists, trophies and records behind his triumph

Manuel Neuer and Messi
Manuel Neuer and Messi

Portuguese football icon and national team captain, Cristiano Ronaldo is the best football player in the world at the moment!  He was, on Monday night (January 12) in Zurich, Switzerland, handed the glittering Ballon D’or trophy by former Arsenal and Barcelona striker, Thierry Henry, a validation that he was indeed the most outstanding footballer of 2014.

The 29-year-old’s arch-nemesis and the only other player to have won the award in the last seven years, Lionel Messi was left in a distant second place; while German ‘sweeper-keeper’ and world cup winner, Manual Neuer finished third.

The Real Madrid star forward polled 37.66 percent of the votes cast – more than double the amount of votes Messi (15.76 percent) and Neuer (15.72 percent) acquired.

Ronaldo was a shining beacon for his Spanish powerhouse club en route to claiming both the Champions League title and Copa del Rey last season as well as the FIFA Club World Cup in December, taking his scoring exploits to new heights under coach, Carlo Ancelotti.

The question on the lips of many is how do the two superstars compare and how did the Ronaldo claim the award despite a record-breaking year for Messi. These statistics help to clear the air…

 

  • The 29-year-old superstar scored a remarkable 61 goals for both club and country in the calendar year.
  • Ronaldo scored a record 17 goals in last season’s Champions League campaign, shattering the previous record of 15 set by Messi.
  • He netted a phenomenal 26 goals in 16 La Liga games this season; Messi has 16.
  • As earlier stated, he won a remarkable three major trophies – Champions League, Copa Del Rey and FIFA Club World Cup – with Real Madrid in 2014.
  • This season alone, he has notched a total of 33 goals in all competitions.
  • He has five goals in the Champions League this season; two behind Messi and four behind Shahktar Donetsk’s Luiz Adriano who has nine.
  • In 2014, he made an impressive 18 assists; Messi had 21.
  • He is the only player in La Liga history to score more than 25 goals in six seasons.

MICHAEL NWOKIKE

Encomium

Written by Encomium

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