Top 5 players who beat Messi and Ronaldo to major individual awards

3. Diego Forlan

The legendary Atletico Madrid player was a real force in his playing days. He was highly recognised for his free kicks and goalscoring stints. The Uruguayan boasts an impressive goalscoring record in the Spanish League. No wonder he also beat Messi and Ronaldo to major individual awards.

In 2009, Diego Forlan won the La Liga top scorer award after scoring 32 goals in 33 games for Athletico Madrid in the 2008/2009 La Liga season. That same year, he also beat the pair outranking them to claim the European Top Scorer award.

All these are impressive achievements and should be well appreciated.

About the author

Jidonu is a European and international football news writer at Sportskeeda. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and has around 7 years of previous experience working with the likes of Tribuna and SportRaba, Jidonu has a good eye for detail and has the ability to created cohesive articles, and reporting exploits have also led him to exclusively cover the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the past.

Jidonu’s tryst with football started after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany, being mesmerized by Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Barcelona philosophy and approach towards the game under Pep Guardiola further fueled the burgeoning love for the sport, and he has been a Culer ever since.

Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi is his favorite player and is the one true GOAT for him over Cristiano Ronaldo. The 2022 FIFA World Cup final, where Messi's brace led to La Albiceleste lifting the cup left a lasting impact on him. His love for Messi also sees him follow Major League Soccer apart from Europe’s top five leagues.

In his free time, Jidonu raps and produces music, and also enjoys reading and swimming.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith