Cristiano Ronaldo’s incredible 2016 Ballon d’Or record remains unbeaten after the 2026 voting results were revealed. The Portuguese legend finished 429 points ahead of Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo Still Holds Historic Ballon d’Or Record Ahead of Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo continues to hold one of the greatest records in Ballon d’Or history, even after the official voting results for the 2026 award were revealed.
The Portuguese superstar set an incredible record in 2016 when he defeated Lionel Messi by 429 points, the biggest winning margin in raw points in the award’s history.
Almost a decade later, that achievement remains unbeaten.
Ronaldo’s incredible 2016 Ballon d’Or victory
On December 12, 2016, Ronaldo won his fourth Ballon d’Or after an outstanding year for Real Madrid and Portugal.
He helped Real Madrid win the Champions League and led Portugal to their first European Championship title at Euro 2016.
The final voting results showed a huge difference between the two football legends:
- Cristiano Ronaldo: 745 points
- Lionel Messi: 316 points
- Winning margin: 429 points
Ronaldo’s dominant victory created a historic record that still stands in 2026.
Harry Kane’s 2026 victory highlights Ronaldo’s achievement
France Football released the detailed 2026 Ballon d’Or results on October 30, revealing one of the closest races in recent history.
Harry Kane won his first Ballon d’Or with 1,055 points, narrowly beating Kylian Mbappé, who received 1,027.
Only 28 points separated Kane and Mbappé, compared with Ronaldo’s remarkable 429-point advantage over Messi in 2016.
Lamine Yamal finished third in 2026, while Messi took fifth place.
Why Ronaldo’s record remains special
Ronaldo’s 2016 victory remains one of the most dominant results in Ballon d’Or history.
However, the voting system has changed over the years, with different numbers of journalists and different points awarded for each position.
Therefore, the 429-point record refers to the absolute difference in points, rather than the highest percentage of votes.
Messi still leads the all-time Ballon d’Or winners list with eight trophies, compared with Ronaldo’s five.
But when it comes to the biggest winning margin in points, the Portuguese legend still holds a remarkable piece of Ballon d’Or history.
