Cristiano Ronaldo collected his joint-record fifth Ballon d‘Or on Thursday in Paris in the middle of his worst domestic season for Real Madrid, but with a deserved reputation for delivering on the biggest stage of all and when it matters most.
Despite equaling Lionel Messi in being named the world player of the year for a fifth time, he trails the Barcelona forward in the La Liga scoring charts, on a measly two goals to Messi’s 13 strikes which have helped Barca lead Real by eight points in the standings after 14 games.