Cristiano Ronaldo: I want to catch Lionel Messi in Ballon d'Or records

"I want to catch Messi," Ronaldo confessed when collecting his third World Player of the Year crown back in 2015. Now the Portuguese has four to his name, but Messi still remains one step ahead with five. The two have dominated the award for the past decade in the battle to not just be considered the best of their generation, but among the best of all time.

Yet, whilst Juventus's stubborn defence forced Messi to fire blanks in a 3-0 quarter-final aggregate win for the Italians over Barcelona, Ronaldo can complete another stellar season by ensuring Madrid become the first side to retain the Champions League.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi

"I am aware of the fact that what I've done in football has already left and will continue to leave a mark," Ronaldo told UEFA.com. "I haven't broken so many records by accident. That's not an obsession for me, but I do like breaking them."

However, Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos more than Ronaldo has been Real's hero in two of the past three Champions League finals, scoring in both games in Lisbon and Milan.

However, the Spanish international doesn't seem interested in depriving his teammate of a fifth Ballon d'Or to tie Messi's record.

"If I wanted to win individual awards I would have played tennis," Ramos said. In contrast to Madrid's previous finals in recent seasons, though, Ronaldo arrives in Cardiff in his best form of the campaign having been spared for a series of league games recently.

Ballon d'Or list
Lionel Messi: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015
Cristiano Ronaldo: 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016

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