With a club the size of Real Madrid, they have had their fair share of Ballon d'Or winners, but especially in the 21st century. The iconic trophy has come home to the Bernabeu eight times this century, with five different players on the receiving end. Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, Ronaldo Nazario, and Fabio Cannavaro have all been crowned winners after impressive seasons, each different in its own way, but which season was the best?
Let's rank the eight Real Madrid Ballon d'Or winning seasons of the 21st century from best to worst, and spoiler alert: Cristiano Ronaldo is on this list a lot.
How do all of Real Madrid's Ballon d'Or seasons stack up against each other
2016 - Cristiano Ronaldo
Starting off, we have Cristiano Ronaldo's 2016 Ballon d'Or campaign. The 15/16 season is viewed as one of Cristiano's strongest overall seasons, bringing home silverware for both club and country. Cristiano was a standout for Real Madrid that season, grabbing 51 goals and 15 assists in 48 games, scoring the winning penalty in the Champions League final that year. He also grabbed three goals and two assists, guiding Portugal to their historic UEFA Euro victory.
2014 - Cristiano Ronaldo
Next we have Cristiano's 2014 campaign, the famous La Decima season. The Portuguese grabbed 51 goals (17 in the Champions League) and 17 assists in 47 appearances, in a season that saw Real Madrid bring home both the Champions League and Copa del Rey trophies. Cristiano was unstoppable from start to finish, in a season looked back on with much nostalgia by Real Madrid fans.
2017 - Cristiano Ronaldo
In third, we have Cristiano's 2017 Ballon d'Or winning season. Given out for the 16/17 season, a season in which Real Madrid brought home the La Liga and Champions League double, and it is a season that will stand the test of time at Real Madrid. 42 goals and 12 assists in 46 matches, including his iconic back-to-back Champions League hat-tricks against Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid, it was another season of dominance from the famous number 7.
2022 - Karim Benzema
Finally, we come to the first player on this list who isn't Cristiano Ronaldo. A season of dominance saw Karim Benzema take home the famous Golden Ball after bagging 44 goals and 15 assists in 46 appearances, including his iconic hat-tricks in the Champions League against PSG and Chelsea, as well as scoring the decisive penalty in extra time against Manchester City. A deserving winner in 2022, Benzema showed that even at 34 years old, he was still the best striker in the world.
2018 - Luka Modric
Next on this list is another player not named Cristiano Ronaldo, and it's Luka Modric's historic 2018 Ballon d'Or winning season. A third consecutive Champions League title, followed by his incredible World Cup campaign, taking Croatia to the final and taking home the tournament's Golden Ball, saw Modric become the first player to break the Messi - Ronaldo Ballon d'Or cycle.
2013 - Cristiano Ronaldo
We've come to the last of Cristiano Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or winning seasons at Real Madrid in 2013. Ronaldo grabbed 55 goals and 13 assists in 55 matches in a season that saw no major silverware come home to the Bernabeu, with this Ballon d'Or being based more on individual brilliance. This is his most controversial Ballon d'Or, as many believe it should have gone to Frank Ribery, but Ronaldo's numbers were too historic to ignore.
2002 - Ronaldo Nazario
R9 became the first Real Madrid player to bring the Ballon d'Or trophy to the Santiago Bernabeu since Alfredo Di Stefano in 1957, in a season that was much more based around his World Cup success than club performance. The Brazilian bagged a brace in the World Cup Final, guiding Brazil to their fifth World Cup triumph. He joined Real Madrid after the tournament, bringing the Galacticos era to its start.
2006 - Fabio Cannavaro
Lastly, we come to Fabio Cannavaro. Much like R9, Cannavaro took home the Ballon d'Or mostly for his international performances with Italy, guiding them to World Cup victory and joined Real Madrid after the tournament. One of the rare defenders to take home the award, while it may not be the most eye-catching Ballon d'Or winning season, it is one that many will always remember.
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