Ranking the Ballon d'Or winners of the decade (2010-2019)

#6 Cristiano Ronaldo, 2013

Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or in 2013 despite the fact that Real Madrid did not win a major trophy in the 2012/13 season. On a personal level, however, the Portuguese hitman was at his destructive best, as he scored 51 goals across all competitions to win the award for the second time in his career, after picking up the award in 2008 during his time at Manchester United.

The 2013 edition of the Ballon d'Or came with its fair share of controversy, as there have been reports that the voting lines were made open for a longer period than it should have, which may have affected the results. Frank Ribery, who was coming on the back of a sensational season with Bayern Munich, felt hard done by when he missed out on the award and has made his displeasure felt multiple times over the course of his career, as he played a pivotal role in the Bavarians' treble-winning season that year.

2013 Ballon d'Or 1st Place - Cristiano Ronaldo: 27.99% of votes

2013 Ballon d'Or 2nd Place - Lionel Messi: 24.72% of votes

2013 Ballon d'Or 3rd Place - Frank Ribery: 23.36% of votes

#5 Cristiano Ronaldo, 2014

While Atletico Madrid won the La Liga in the 2013/14 season, Real Madrid won the UEFA Champions League for the 10th time in the club's decorated history, as the Carlo Ancelotti led side secured La Decima after a long wait. Ronaldo was at the forefront of the action, as he spearheaded their charge in Europe and produced a string of top-class performances on his way to winning the competition for the second time.

The current all-time top scorer in the history of the Champions League beat arch-rival Messi and Manuel Neuer to the award that year, which was also subject to a lot of controversy as Messi was adjudged the best player in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and Neuer won the tournament with Germany as one of their best players.

2014 Ballon d'Or 1st Place - Cristiano Ronaldo: 37.66% of votes

2014 Ballon d'Or 2nd Place - Lionel Messi Messi: 15.76% of votes

2014 Ballon d'Or 3rd Place - Manuel Neuer: 15.72% of votes