The Ballon d'Or may be the most prestigious individual prize a footballer can win, but a deeper look at the voting leaves a feeling of bemusement and frustration. Cristiano Ronaldo may have quite rightly been voted the world's best player on Monday night - his second consecutive win and third overall - and gushed about  Lionel Messi, hailing his great rival for helping him become a better player. But the Real Madrid superstar could not bring himself to include Messi in his top three players in the world, instead choosing to opt for team-mates Sergio Ramos, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema.
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Cristiano Ronaldo was named 2014 Ballon d'Or winner on Monday evening
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Lionel Messi came second and Manuel Neuer third in the voting
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Ronaldo and Messi did not include each other in their top three votes
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Many players simply voted for their team-mates and compatriots
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READ: Ronaldo and Messi remain best of enemies
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FIFA Team of the Year: FIFPro World XI
Ronaldo voted for Real Madrid team-mate @placeholder (centre) as the best player in the world