Di Maria, however, noted that the decade-long rivalry between the two football superstars no longer exists in football today.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Former Argentina winger Angel Di Maria has insisted that ace football stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could still win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, even though they are currently not the favourites for the award.
The 38-year-old forward made this known recently during an interview with the official website of the most prestigious individual award in world football.
Messi and Ronaldo are set for their sixth appearance at the World Cup, which will be held across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Their countries, Argentina and Portugal, are among the contenders expected to win the trophy.
However, only one of these teams will progress beyond the quarter-finals, with the draw pitting them against each other in the last eight of the competition, should they win all their games up to that point.
The two superstars have won the award 13 times between them, with the Argentine holding the record for the highest number of wins with eight pieces of silverware.
The last time Messi won the Ballon d’Or was back in 2023 after Argentina were crowned World Cup champions.
Speaking on the individual award, Di Maria, who helped Argentina win the World Cup in 2022 and played alongside Ronaldo at Real Madrid, believes that a similar outcome is still possible in 2026.
He argued that there is a possibility of either of his ex-teammates winning the Ballon d’Or if they win this year’s World Cup or become standout performers at the tournament.
He said: “Well… it’s normal… At the end of the day, there isn’t a Messi or a Cristiano anymore; that’s over.
“For me, there won’t be a rivalry as great as that one. That’s why I think that if either of them wins the World Cup or plays a starring role, they’ve got a good chance…”
