If you were watching football in 2016, you already know. Honestly, it wasn't even a contest by the time December rolled around. While the "Messi vs. Ronaldo" wars usually require a calculator and a law degree to settle, 2016 was different. Cristiano Ronaldo won the 2016 Ballon d'Or, and he didn't just win it—he crushed it. He tallied 745 points. Lionel Messi, who came in second, had 316. That is a massive gap.
It was a weird year for the award, too. France Football had just ended its six-year partnership with FIFA. This meant the "FIFA Ballon d'Or" was dead, replaced by the original, purist version of the trophy where only international journalists got a vote. No more national team captains or coaches picking their buddies. Just 173 journalists deciding who actually owned the pitch that year.
And Cristiano owned everything.
Why the 2016 Ballon d'Or belonged to CR7
You can't talk about this trophy without talking about the summer in France. Portugal wasn't supposed to win Euro 2016. They drew all three group games. They were, frankly, a bit of a slog to watch at times. But Ronaldo dragged them through. You remember the header against Wales? He basically hovered in the air for three seconds. It was physics-defying.
Even though he got injured early in the final against France and ended up pacing the touchline like a madman—basically acting as a co-manager to Fernando Santos—that trophy changed his legacy. It gave him the one thing Messi didn't have at the time: a major international trophy.
✨ Don't miss: The Division 2 National Championship Game: How Ferris State Just Redrew the Record Books
But let's look at the club side. Real Madrid won the Champions League. Again. Ronaldo scored the winning penalty in the shootout against Atlético Madrid. He finished that UCL campaign with 16 goals. 16. That’s more than most world-class strikers get in two or three seasons combined. He was 31 years old and supposedly "declining," yet he was scoring at a rate that felt like a video game on easy mode.
The Numbers That Settled the Argument
Stats don't tell the whole story, but they're hard to argue with when they're this loud. Across the calendar year, Ronaldo played 54 games and scored 51 goals. He also grabbed 17 assists. Basically, every time he stepped onto grass, a goal happened.
Messi had more goals overall that calendar year (59), but football is about moments. Ronaldo won the two biggest trophies available to a European player in a single summer. That is a royal flush. You can't beat a royal flush. Antoine Griezmann, who finished third, had an incredible year, but he lost both finals—the Champions League and the Euros—to Ronaldo. That’s gotta sting.
The "Messi Problem" and the 2016 Podium
People often ask why Messi didn't win, given his individual brilliance. He won a domestic double with Barcelona (La Liga and the Copa del Rey). He was mesmerizing. But 2016 was the year of the "Copa América Centenario" heartbreak. Messi took Argentina to the final, missed a penalty in the shootout against Chile, and briefly retired from international football in the aftermath.
🔗 Read more: Por qué los partidos de Primera B de Chile son más entretenidos que la división de honor
The contrast was too sharp for the voters to ignore. One legend was lifting a trophy on a moth-infested pitch in Paris; the other was in tears in New Jersey.
Behind the big two, the 2016 rankings showed just how dominant La Liga was back then:
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) - 1st
- Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - 2nd
- Antoine Griezmann (Atlético Madrid) - 3rd
- Luis Suárez (Barcelona) - 4th
- Neymar (Barcelona) - 5th
- Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) - 6th
It was a total Spanish league lockout of the top six. It’s wild to look back at that now and realize how much power was concentrated in just two or three locker rooms.
Controversy and the "Peak Poacher" Narrative
Not everyone was happy. There's always a "but," right?
💡 You might also like: South Carolina women's basketball schedule: What Most People Get Wrong
Critics in 2016 started saying Ronaldo was no longer the dribbler he used to be. They called him a "Penaldo" or a "Tap-in Merchant." He had transitioned from a lightning-fast winger to the ultimate predator in the box. His touch was shorter. He spent less time on the ball.
But honestly? That’s what made 2016 so impressive. He evolved. He knew his body was changing, so he changed his game. Instead of beating four men on the wing, he just made sure he was in the exact right square inch of the penalty area to finish a cross. That intelligence is what the journalists voted for. They weren't just voting for highlights; they were voting for the most effective winner on the planet.
What we can learn from the 2016 results
The 2016 Ballon d'Or was a turning point because it proved that international success still carries the most weight in football's collective consciousness. If Portugal loses that final to France, does Ronaldo still win? Maybe. But it would have been much, much closer.
If you're looking at modern football history, 2016 is the year Ronaldo drew level with the narrative. It brought him his fourth Ballon d'Or, putting him just one behind Messi at the time (he’d later tie it at 5-5 in 2017). It was the peak of their rivalry.
Actionable Insights for Football Fans and Historians
To truly understand the weight of this specific award, you should do a few things:
- Watch the 2016 UCL Quarter-final against Wolfsburg. Real Madrid was 2-0 down from the first leg. Ronaldo scored a hat-trick to save them. That single game probably won him 100 votes.
- Compare the voting shift. 2016 was the first year the "FIFA" influence was removed. Look at how the journalists' picks differed from the "Best FIFA Men's Player" award that followed. It shows how "football people" vs. "media people" see the game differently.
- Study the evolution of the No. 9. Use Ronaldo’s 2016 season as a blueprint for how an elite athlete can reinvent their career when their top-end speed starts to dip.
The 2016 Ballon d'Or wasn't just a trophy for Cristiano Ronaldo. It was a statement. It was the year he proved he could carry a nation, not just a superstar club. Whether you love him or hate him, that year was undeniable.