Ronaldo Fans Left Furious As Messi Places Above Al-Nassr Star in Publication’s Ballon d’Or Rankings

• GiveMeSport have listed their latest rankings for the 2024 Ballon d'Or award
• Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham is on top of the rankings, ahead of Harry Kane
• Cristiano Ronaldo's fans can't understand why Lionel Messi is rated above him

The debate over the better player between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will never end.

Both superstars have their share of detractors and fans, and there's often a clash between the two over different aspects of the players' careers.

The latest source of debate is GiveMeSport's 2024 Ballon d'Or rankings. The publication has revealed a list of players they believe are frontrunners for the trophy.

Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham and Bayern Munich's Harry Kane lead the list, with Ronaldo coming in at tenth. One spot above the Al-Nassr captain is Messi, and CR7's fans can't believe it.

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The Argentinian won his eighth Ballon d'Or award last year, EuroSport noted after he captained his country to the 2022 FIFA World Cup title.

Ballon d'Or's new rule change

The primary reason fans can't believe Messi is above Ronaldo in the rankings is because of the new rules regarding the Ballon d'Or.

As reported by 90MIN, players are judged for their exploits across a season and not a calendar year like before. Ronaldo would, therefore, have a distinct advantage, as he has already scored 24 goals in all competitions for his club alone.

An MLS season only starts in February and ends in December that year, meaning Messi has yet to feature at club level during the current Ballon d'Or judging period.

While GiveMeSport doesn't appear to be using the same criteria for their rankings, fans are still incensed over the decision to list Messi above Ronaldo.

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Here's how supporters reacted:

Ronaldista:

"What is Messi doing there? He has been on vacation for the last 4 months."

Shegzy:

"Still Messi above him for not playing for the past 3months."

Oluwagbemiro Diamond:

"They still rate Messi above Ronaldo in 2024? Lordy!"

Goodluck_JL,Esq:

"It's a joke! What Messi is doing in this list."

Emmanuel.B:

"Messi is going to take the balloon d'or because he won WC 2022. Lmao 🤣"

W!se:

"So Messi is 9 just for breathing."

Ketjow:

"What is Messi doing there? World Cup ended in 2022."

Murphy Spurs:

"God will punish GiveMeSport how could you rate Messi ahead of Ronaldo this current season."

Messi, Ronaldo make FIFPro World XI shortlist

Al-Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Inter Miami's Lionel Messi have both been nominated for the FIFPro World XI.

Ronaldo finished 2023 off as the leading goal-scorer, while Messi won a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or award.

Despite his success with Liverpool, Mohamed Salah was a notable exception from the list, Sports Brief reported.