Published 17:05 IST, December 15th 2020
Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Ronaldo Nazario make front 3 of Ballon d’Or Dream Team
Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Ronaldo Nazario made up the formidable front three of the Ballon d’Or Dream Team which was released on Monday.
Barcelona and Real Madrid legends have dominated the front three positions in the Ballon d’Or Dream Team, which was announced on Monday. The Ballon d'Or Dream Team consisted of a midfield boasting the likes of the late Diego Maradona, Pele, Xavi Hernandez and Lothar Matthaus. Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Ronaldo Nazario were chosen as the three best forward players to play the sport.
In defence, Russian goalkeeping great Lev Yashin was selected as the best shot-stopper of all time. Brazil legend Cafu filled in the right-back position, Germany icon Franz Beckenbauer occupied the role of centre-back and Italian great Paolo Maldini was elected as the left-back. The Ballon d'Or Dream Team was selected based on the votes of 140 top journalists from around the world.
Ballon d'Or Dream Team's lethal front three
Right-wing: Lionel Messi
The Barcelona star has won 10 LaLiga titles and four Champions Leagues with the Catalan side in the two decades he has been with the club. Messi, a six-time Ballon d'Or winner, is only two goals away from surpassing Brazil legend Pele's incredible record of 643 goals for a single club. Messi has won a total of 34 trophies and is only one behind Dani Alves on the list of most major trophies won by currently active players.
The Argentine's place in the Ballon d’Or Dream Team was quite simply a no-brainer given his incredible trophy haul and records. Messi is Barcelona's all-time top goalscorer and has won seven Pichichi trophies - the annual award given to La Liga's top scorer in a season.
Left-wing: Cristiano Ronaldo
The Juventus superstar has scored a staggering 754 goals across his senior career at club and international level, including 450 in 438 appearances for Los Blancos during his nine years at the Santiago Bernabeu. Alongside being a three-time Premier League champion, two-time LaLiga champion, two-time Serie A winner, and five-time UCL winner, Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or five times.
He has also tasted success at the international level with Portugal, winning the Euros in 2016 and the UEFA Nations league with in 2019. Again, not many would argue with Ronaldo's position in the team.
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Centre-Forward: Ronaldo Nazario
Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazario was chosen as the centre-forward for the team. He scored 47 goals in 49 appearances for Barcelona in 1996-97 before racking up 104 goals in 177 games at Real Madrid. He won two LaLiga titles with Los Blancos.
Ronaldo won the World Cup with Brazil on two occasions. He's also a two-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Image Credits - Leo Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo Instagram / AP
Updated 17:05 IST, December 15th 2020