Ballon d'Or: The players who won it almost unanimously | OneFootball

The players who claimed the Ballon d'Or with near-unanimous votes

Messi et Ronaldo/@Eurosport

While some Ballon d'Or awards have sparked controversy, others were handed out with near-unanimous support. Let's look back at the highest winning percentages in the award's history.

In 2011, Lionel Messi secured his third Ballon d'Or. The Argentine did it with a staggering 47.88% of the vote, outpacing his rival Cristiano Ronaldo (21.60%) and club teammate Xavi (9.23%).

Cristiano Ronaldo also dominated the competition in 2016, the year Portugal triumphed at the Euros, winning the prize with 47.85% of the vote, ahead of Lionel Messi (20.30%) and Antoine Griezmann (12.72%).

Here are the Ballon d'Or winners with the highest percentage of votes:

1- Lionel Messi (2011 - 47.88%)

2- Cristiano Ronaldo (2016 - 47.85%)

3- Lionel Messi (2012 - 41.60%)

4- Lionel Messi (2015 - 41.33%)

5- Karim Benzema (2022 - 36.90%)

For the 2025 edition, with no clear favorite in sight, the winner is unlikely to post a high enough percentage to break into this Top 5.