Lionel Messi's Ballon d'Or success no surprise But for this observer, a member of the voting panel, a true assessment of any individual must surely include the amassing of silverware. Messi won the Spanish Cup but none of the major honours. That is why this correspondent cast his Ballon d'Or vote for Cristiano Ronaldo, whose collection of virtuoso displays drove Real Madrid to La Liga glory, a formidable feat when set against the challenge of a superior Barcelona team packed with stars such as Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi. I voted Messi second and Iniesta third. Week after week, Ronaldo rose to the challenge, creating goals out of nothing, using his remarkable blend of skill and athleticism, scoring 46 times in Real's title triumph. It was a phenomenal personal campaign and deserved some individual recognition. Ronaldo has continued scoring, despite Real's travails, including being joint top scorer in the Champions League group stage with six. In considering Ronaldo's credentials, there was also a respectful nod to his contribution to helping Madrid to last season's semi-finals of the Champions League (as Messi and Iniesta did with Barcelona) and particularly the last four of Euro 2012 with a good but hardly great Portugal side (and noting how brilliantly Iniesta did with the all-conquering Spanish and how Messi had no tournament with Argentina). Ronaldo may appear self-obsessed, less of a sporting ambassador compared to Messi, but let us not forget that he had a sensational 2012. And he won La Liga.