Cristiano Ronaldo won it. But honestly, if you ask any Bayern Munich fan or a purist who values trophies over raw stats, they’ll tell you the Ballon d’Or 2013 winner should have been Franck Ribéry. It was one of the most polarizing years in the history of the award. We aren't just talking about a close race. We are talking about a literal shift in the rules mid-voting that changed the course of football history.
He cried.
When Pelé announced his name on that stage in Zurich, Ronaldo broke down. It had been four long years of watching Lionel Messi collect Golden Balls like they were trading cards. By 2013, the pressure on CR7 was immense. He hadn't won a major trophy with Real Madrid that year. Not the Champions League. Not La Liga. Not even the Copa del Rey. Yet, he stood there with the trophy. How?
The Ribéry Robbery?
Franck Ribéry was the heartbeat of a Bayern Munich side that won everything. They didn't just win; they dominated. They secured the Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal, and the Champions League. Ribéry was the architect. He wasn't scoring 60 goals, but he was the best player on the best team in the world. Usually, that’s the criteria.
In most years, the Ballon d’Or 2013 winner would be the guy holding the Big Ears trophy in May. Ribéry had 22 assists and 11 goals across the 2012-13 season. He was named the UEFA Best Player in Europe. He thought he had it in the bag. He even famously said his wife had already prepared a spot on the mantelpiece for the trophy. That’s gotta hurt in hindsight.
But the 2013 award wasn't about the collective. It became a referendum on individual brilliance. Or maybe, it was just about who was the most "unstoppable" force at the exact moment the ballots were cast.
That Infamous Deadline Extension
This is where things get messy. Really messy.
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The original voting deadline was November 15, 2013. At that point, many insiders believed Ribéry was leading. Then, FIFA and France Football did something they had never done before. They extended the deadline to November 29. They cited a "lack of eligible voters," but the timing was suspicious.
Why? Because of Sweden vs. Portugal.
The World Cup qualifying playoffs happened right in that window. Cristiano Ronaldo put on a performance for the ages. He scored a hat-trick in Solna, dragging Portugal to the 2014 World Cup single-handedly. He outshone Zlatan Ibrahimovic on his own turf. The world was in awe. FIFA also allowed voters who had already submitted their ballots to change their minds and re-vote.
It felt like a reaction to Sepp Blatter’s "commander" comments. A few weeks prior, Blatter—the FIFA president at the time—had mocked Ronaldo at the Oxford Union, saying he "spends more time at the hairdresser" and preferring Messi. The backlash was nuclear. Real Madrid was furious. Ronaldo was furious. Extending the deadline felt like FIFA’s way of making peace.
The Raw Numbers of the 2013 Ballon d'Or Winner
If you look at the stats, Ronaldo was a machine. He scored 69 goals for club and country in the calendar year. Sixty-nine.
Messi, who finished second, had 45 goals but struggled with injuries. Ribéry was third. The voting was incredibly tight:
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- Ronaldo: 27.99%
- Messi: 24.72%
- Ribéry: 23.36%
It’s one of the narrowest margins ever. If the deadline hadn't moved, does Ribéry win? Probably. But football isn't played in a vacuum. Ronaldo’s 2013 was a testament to the idea that the Ballon d'Or is an individual award, not a team one. He was playing at a level of individual efficiency that we might never see again, outside of the Messi-Ronaldo era.
He was scoring headers from the clouds. He was hitting knuckleballs that defied physics. He was the primary reason Real Madrid stayed competitive during a chaotic transition period under Jose Mourinho and then Carlo Ancelotti.
Why It Still Matters Today
The Ballon d’Or 2013 winner debate changed how we talk about greatness. It started the "Trophies vs. Stats" war that still rages on Twitter and in bars every single year.
Before 2013, there was a general consensus: if you win the Treble, you win the Ballon d'Or. After 2013, that rule was dead. It paved the way for players to win based on "peak performance" rather than "medal count." It also showed the immense power of narrative. Ronaldo’s "Commander" narrative and the playoff heroics outweighed Ribéry’s year-long consistency.
You also have to consider the psychological impact. This win snapped Messi’s four-year streak. It gave Ronaldo the validation he desperately craved. It fueled the next four years of his career, where he went on a tear, winning four Champions Leagues in five years. If he loses in 2013, does he stay as motivated? Probably. He's Ronaldo. But that win was a massive turning point for his legacy at Real Madrid.
The Forgotten Names of 2013
While everyone argues about the top three, we forget how stacked that year was.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic finished 4th. He was at his PSG peak, scoring those logic-defying scorpion kicks and long-range rockets.
Neymar was just arriving at Barcelona.
Andres Iniesta and Xavi were still top 10, though their dominance was fading.
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Arjen Robben, the man who actually scored the winning goal in the Champions League final for Bayern, finished 8th. Think about that. You score the winner at Wembley, win the Treble, and you aren't even in the top five. That tells you everything about the star power of the CR7 and Messi brands at that time.
Misconceptions About the 2013 Vote
People often say Ronaldo "stole" it. That’s a bit harsh.
He didn't choose to extend the deadline. He just went out and scored three goals against Sweden. If the voters changed their minds because they saw a once-in-a-generation performance, is that his fault?
Another misconception is that Messi had a "bad" year. He didn't. He won La Liga and scored nearly 50 goals. He just wasn't "Messi-level" due to his hamstrings giving out in the spring of 2013. If Messi had stayed healthy, he likely would have won his fifth in a row, and Ribéry still would have been left out in the cold.
Actionable Takeaways for Football History Buffs
If you're looking to settle an argument or just understand the era better, here is how to view the 2013 results:
- Study the "Criteria" Shift: 2013 is the primary evidence that the Ballon d'Or is a "flavor of the month" award. Momentum in November often outweighs trophies won in May.
- Acknowledge the Merger: This was during the "FIFA Ballon d'Or" era (2010–2015) when the award was merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year. This meant national team coaches and captains had a vote, not just journalists. Journalists (who tend to favor team success) actually voted Ribéry first. The coaches and captains (who favor star power) went for Ronaldo.
- The Ribéry Factor: If you want to defend Ribéry, point to his 2013 UEFA Super Cup performance against Chelsea or his dominance in the 7-0 aggregate demolition of Barcelona.
- The Ronaldo Factor: If you want to defend Ronaldo, look at his goals-per-game ratio. He averaged over a goal a game for the entire year. In the modern era, that is usually the "gold standard" for the award.
The 2013 ceremony was the night the "Greatest of All Time" debate became a two-horse race again. It wasn't just about a trophy; it was about the shift from the dominance of the Barcelona/Spain system to the era of the individual superstar. Ronaldo’s victory was the first step in his second act, transitioning from the flashy United winger to the ruthless Madrid goal-machine.
Whether you think it was a "robbery" or "justice," the 2013 results remain the most controversial page in the history of the Golden Ball. It proved that in football, sometimes being the best player in the world is different from being the most successful one.