Ballon d'Or: Ranking the top 5 forwards to have won the award

#3 Ronaldo de Lima (1997, 2002)

Ronaldo de Lima is the youngest winner of the Ballon d'Or

Ronaldo Nazario is considered by many to be the best center-forward in the history of football and it is hard to argue against this viewpoint.

El Fenomeno was truly a legendary player who left an indelible mark on the game of football and is arguably the most complete striker to ever play the game.

Despite not being the tallest of players, Ronaldo posed a significant threat in the air, in addition to pace, body balance, technique, close control, and an almost unerring shot accuracy.

His finishing ability was second to none, while his exceptional body movement and dribbling ability made him a menace to opposition defenders and goalkeepers, as they never knew what trick he was going to pull out from his stocked sleeve.

Ronaldo's defining moment came in Korea/Japan 2002, where despite just returning from injury, he played a starring role and made amends for the heartbreak from four years earlier to help Brazil to her fifth world title.

His iconic half-moon hairstyle symbolized that he was not fully fit, but regardless, the Rio de Janeiro native weighed in with eight goals to fire his nation to glory.

Unlike most other greats, Ronaldo starred on both the club and international scene, with his best periods coming in the yellow and blue of Brazil, with whom he won numerous titles including the Confederations Cup and Copa America.

He represented some of the biggest clubs in the world in his heydey including Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Barcelona, PSV, and AC Milan but surprisingly never got to win the Champions League.

Ronaldo was a child prodigy who started carrying the weight of expectation at a young age. To date, he is the youngest player to win the Ballon d'Or having done so aged just 21 years and three months and also holds the record as the youngest to win the now-defunct FIFA World Best Player award in 1996.

Unfortunately, injuries played a part in denying the footballing world of Ronaldo's best years, but despite his injury-plagued career, his place in the pantheons of the greats is assured.