The mercurial Argentine has only taken the prestigious prize in one of the last four years, but his club colleague thinks he should always win it Messi has won the award – which is voted for by international managers and captains, as well as journalists – five times over the course of his career, more than any other player. But three of the last four have been clinched by Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, taking the Portugal star to within one of Messi in what has become arguably the greatest player rivalry in football history.