Before Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, there was Kaka.

It's been 10 years since someone other than Ronaldo or Messi won the Ballon d'Or and the last person to do that was the Brazil legend.

After winning the 2006/07 Champions League with AC Milan, beating Liverpool 2-1 in the final, Kaka was awarded the Golden Ball and it was expected more were to come.

But a second never followed. In 2009, Kaka joined Real Madrid in a world-record move but endured a wretched four years at the club.

He then returned to Milan in 2013 before settling down at Orlando City in the MLS, where he retired at 35-years-old in October.

Kaka is widely regarded as one of the most talented attacking midfielders to have ever played the game, but he could have been so much more.

With Ronaldo and Messi now dominating the Ballon d'Or, Kaka has become largely remembered for being the last player to beat them to the prestigious award.

The Brazilian was present at Thursday's awards ceremony in Paris, France, and afterwards he shared his thoughts on Ronaldo and Messi's rivalry.

Most interestingly, Kaka perfectly explained the difference between the two before claiming they deserve to have shared the last 10 Ballon d'Ors:

"For me Messi is a genius and Cristiano is the icon of modern football - a very complete player. It's fair that both these players have equally won 10 Ballon d'Or awards."

Nailed it. Kaka said something similar in 2016, but his thoughts on Ronaldo and Messi have never been more relevant given they're currently tied at five Ballon d'Ors each.

And it's something most football fans can surely agree on. Ronaldo is not only a phenomenal player but a physical specimen, whereas Messi is a magician on the ball.

Long may their rivalry continue.