#5 They Dominate the Ballon D’or
This is one of the more damning reasons as to why these two players are a little further up the ladder than any of their predecessors and contemporaries in terms of their rivalry.
From 2008 to 2015, only either one of the two has managed to snap up the biggest individual award in the game year in year out. Lionel Messi has, of course, dominated the prize more than Cristiano has but Cristiano has won the big one a few times as well now.
No two players, rivals or not have managed to dominate and keep a duopoly over this individual honor as strongly as these two have and this is the very essence of the argument that these two are, the greatest players to have ever graced the game. This is also the very basis of the argument that these two are indeed the greatest duo to have graced the game at the same time. To think that they are rivals, win-win for the neutrals if there ever was one.
