All of a sudden there was Cristiano Ronaldo, appearing round the corner, walking on to the stage beneath the Eiffel Tower, clutching a golden ball under his arm. At a glitzy ceremony befitting a man with diamonds in his ears, Ronaldo celebrated his fifth Ballon d’Or award, beating Lionel Messi to the prize and matching his rival’s record haul.

It was expected of course – especially after pictures had emerged of Ronaldo's new Nike boots with 'Quinto Triunfo' (fifth triumph) stitched into them – but the expectation only served as a reminder that one of his most impressive achievements has been to make such impressive achievements seem mundane.

We should never let them. Ronaldo held up a hand with fingers spread to indicate his quintet of Ballon d'Ors, as he matched Messi and extended their era of domination to 10 years. In a time when there are so many talented footballers, when the rewards for reaching the top are greater than ever before, it is astonishing that two men still manage to find a platform above the rest.

Ballon d'Or top 20 Show all 20 1 /20 Ballon d'Or top 20 Ballon d'Or top 20 20th - David De Gea (Manchester United) MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 17: David De Gea of Manchester United celebrates his sides second goal during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Everton at Old Trafford on September 17, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) Getty Images Ballon d'Or top 20 19th - Eden Hazard (Chelsea) Eden Hazard celebrates Chelsea's equaliser Getty Ballon d'Or top 20 18th - Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid) Griezmann emerged from his slump with a stunning scissor-kick finish Getty Ballon d'Or top 20 17th - Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 09: Toni Kroos of Real Madrid CF reacts during the La Liga match between Real Madrid and Levante at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on September 9, 2017 in Madrid, . (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images) Getty Images Ballon d'Or top 20 16th - Marcelo (Real Madrid) Ballon d'Or top 20 15th - Paulo Dybala (Juventus) TURIN, ITALY - MAY 21: Paulo Dybala of Juventus FC celebrates after beating FC Crotone 3-0 to win the Serie A Championships at the end of the Serie A match between Juventus FC and FC Crotone at Juventus Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images) Getty Images Ballon d'Or top 20 14th - Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) Kevin De Bruyne will be crucial to Manchester City's hopes against Napoli Getty Ballon d'Or top 20 13th - Luis Suarez (Barcelona) GETAFE, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 16: Luis Suarez of FC Barcelona looks on during the La Liga match between Getafe and Barcelona at Coliseum Alfonso Perez on September 16, 2017 in Getafe, . (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images) Getty Images Ballon d'Or top 20 12th - Isco (Real Madrid) Ballon d'Or top 20 11th - Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain) Paris Saint-Germain's Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani celebrates after scoring during the UEFA Champions League Group B football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Glasgow Celtic at Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris on November 22, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / FRANCK FIFE (Photo credit should read FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Ballon d'Or top 20 10th - Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) 18,759 Getty Images Ballon d'Or top 20 9th - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) BREMEN, GERMANY - AUGUST 26: Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Muenchen celebrates having scored his teams second goal to make it 2:0 during the Bundesliga match between SV Werder Bremen and FC Bayern Muenchen at Weserstadion on August 26, 2017 in Bremen, Germany. (Photo by Martin Rose/Bongarts/Getty Images) Getty Ballon d'Or top 20 8th - N'Golo Kante (Chelsea) Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge (centre) in action with Chelsea's Davide Zappacosta (left) and N'Golo Kante battle for the ball during the Premier League match at Anfield, Liverpool. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday November 25, 2017. See PA story SOCCER Liverpool. Photo credit should read: Peter Byrne/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. PA Ballon d'Or top 20 7th - Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain) PARIS, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 22: Kylian Mbappe of PSG celebrates his goal during the UEFA Champions League group B match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Celtic FC at Parc des Princes on November 22, 2017 in Paris, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images) Getty Images Ballon d'Or top 20 6th - Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) CARDIFF, WALES - JUNE 03: Sergio Ramos of Real Madrid celebrates with The Champions League trophy after the UEFA Champions League Final between Juventus and Real Madrid at National Stadium of Wales on June 3, 2017 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) Getty Ballon d'Or top 20 5th - Luka Modric (Real Madrid) Ballon d'Or top 20 4th - Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) Getty Ballon d'Or top 20 3rd - Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain) Neymar is reportedly unhappy in Paris Getty 2017 Ballon d'Or top 20 2nd - Lionel Messi (Barcelona) Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates after defeating Ecuador and qualifying to the 2018 World Cup football tournament, in Quito, on October 10, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Juan Ruiz (Photo credit should read JUAN RUIZ/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Ballon d'Or top 20 1st - Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to claim his fifth Ballon d'Or tonight Getty

“I feel very happy, it’s a fantastic moment in my career,” Ronaldo said, standing with his mother Maria Dolores and his oldest son Cristiano Jr. “I’ve waited a long time for this. This has been a stupendous year for me, we won the Champions League and La Liga and on a personal level I was top scorer in the Champions League.

“Trophies help me win prizes like this and I have to thank my team mates at Madrid and Portugal. They’ve been very important to me.”

The accolade caps another trophy-laden year for the 32-year-old, having spearheaded Madrid’s run to the La Liga title with 25 league goals and claimed the fourth Champions League winners’ medal of his career – a tournament in which he displayed his ruthless goalscoring at its best. Ronaldo scored five goals against Bayern Munich across two legs in the quarter-finals, including a hat-trick at the Bernebeu, struck another hat-trick to knockout Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals and scored twice in the final as Real saw off Juventus 4-1 in Cardiff.

The question of Ronaldo vs Messi is impossible to ignore, but try; that can be tackled in 10 years or so when the dust has finally settled, once they have handed in their final submissions, every goal and trophy accounted for, and besides, you've already made up your mind anyway. More pertinent is to wonder just how long they can last alone on that platform?

Neymar finished third and surely he is a only a Champions League or World Cup triumph away from usurping the pair of them, providing he plays a pivotal role which he surely will. And then there is his teenage team-mate, Kylian Mbappe. He was ranked seventh and the same metrics for Neymar's potential rise to the top can be used for the electric French talent. Perhaps Messi and Ronaldo can reach six, maybe more, but their reign feels more precarious than at any stage since 2010 when Ronaldo slipped down the rankings to sixth.

Whether all of this matters in a team sport is perhaps the third question, and the truth is both yes and no. No, because it is and always will be about the best team and the trophies they win. But yes, obviously yes, because we love it and, try as we might, we cannot resist the storylines that the individuals create, the contrasting personalities to latch on to. Nor should we.

Onlookers from the Premier League might query how the nation with five teams currently residing among Europe's elite 16 clubs could trouble the scorers so little. Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante was the highest ranked player in eighth at the end of a year in which he claimed his second league title, and Harry Kane was rated as the best English player, finishing 10th in the overall rankings having ended the 2016-17 season as the Premier League’s top goalscorer. Continued Champions League success might yield better results in 2018.