Real Madrid's legendary No. 7 and Barcelona's nimble maestro will go down in history as two of the greatest players to ever step out onto a football pitch. They've dominated the Ballon d'Or competition over the last decade, and that got us wondering - who would have won had they not claimed football's most coveted individual award?
2008 - Fernando Torres
The Spaniard had the best season of his career in a Liverpool shirt and would have deservedly claimed his first Ballon d'Or.
2009 - Xavi
Barcelona's midfield magician has been named in the top three many times before, but this would have been his first triumph.
2010 - Andres Iniesta
After scoring in the winning World Cup final, Iniesta's name was on everybody's lips in 2010. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, he had to settle for second best.
2011 - Xavi
Another formidable season from Xavi wasn't quite good enough. He finished third once again and watched on as team-mate Messi accepted his award.
2012 - Andrés Iniesta
Barcelona's home-grown midfielders were always the bridesmaid, never the bride.
2013 - Franck Ribery
The Frenchman shone in 2013 and was one of the favourites to take the prize. Like those before him, Ribery ultimately fell victim to Ronaldo and Messi's superiority.
2014 - Manuel Neuer
The keeper was pipped to the post by the two stars but he won't mind, he lifted the World Cup in the same year.
2015 - Neymar
His impressive performances in La Liga and the Champions League put him in the calibre of the world's greatest but it wasn't meant to be.
2016 - Antoine Griezmann
The Frenchman was on fire with Atlético in the 2015/16 season and took his country to the final of the Euros. Unfortunately for Grizzi, he fell short in the voting.
2017 - Neymar
Another stunning season saw Neymar make the podium once again. Significantly younger than both Ronaldo and Messi, it looks to only be a matter of time before the Brazilian gets a Ballon d'Or of his own.