The 2017 Ballon d’Or ceremony marked the final year just the men’s award was handed out as more awards were introduced the following year.
The 62nd annual award was given to Cristiano Ronaldo for the fifth time matching Lionel Messi at the time. While history has unfolded with the Argentine overtaking his Portuguese rival, two of the greatest players of all time battled it out each year for the award over multiple years. The 2017 Ballon d’Or also marks the last, and perhaps final time, Ronaldo won the award.
Here’s how the voting played out at the 2017 Ballon d’Or ceremony.
Men’s Ballon d’Or 2017 Winner
Ronaldo might have walked away with the award, but seven Real Madrid players in total were shortlisted in 2017 including club legends Sergio Ramos, Marcelo and Luka Modrić. Los Blancos were in the middle of their Champions League three-peat given the Ballon d’Or previously was awarded at the end of a calendar year. Ronaldo and company went on to defeat Liverpool in Kyiv, Ukraine later that season marking four European trophies in the 2010s.
Ronaldo beat Messi by 276 points while both were joined by Neymar Jr. and Gianluigi Buffon to receive over 100 points.
2017 also marks the final ceremony in which just the men’s Ballon d’Or was given out. The following year, the women’s Ballon d’Or and Kopa Trophy are created given to the best woman footballer and the best young player in the world.
The following ceremony in 2018 marked a historic year in the award’s annals snapping a streak of dominance by Ronaldo and Messi.
READ MORE ON THE RECENT HISTORY OF THE BALLON D’OR
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ballon d’Or 2017: Winner, Nominees, Voting Breakdown.