The Ballon d'Or has always been as much a tactical battle off the pitch as it has been a celebration of an individual's talents on it.
For the last couple of months the eventual winner has been one of world football's hot topics as the two frontrunners, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, battled for supremacy.
Everyone had their opinion on who should have been the winner, and though Cristiano Ronaldo was finally handed the trophy, it seems that the duos friends in the game have been doing their best to rig the voting.
Scroll down to see how some of the nations voted, including England pair Steven Gerrard and Roy Hodgson
Tactical: Cristiano Ronaldo is emotional after winning his second Ballon d'Or, but the voting reveals he and rival Lionel Messi did not vote for the other
Celebrations: Ronaldo holds the trophy as Pele holds his son Cristiano Jr
Runner up: In fact, the pair failed to put the other in their top three
Third spot: Franck Ribery came third, but was not able to vote for himself as he is not his country's captain
The voting system, taken from FIFA's website, awards five points to first choice, three to second and one to third, and unsurprisingly, neither Messi nor Ronaldo voted for the other in first place.
What may be surprising, however, is that the pair left the other off of their list completely meaning, in the eyes of the other, Messi and Ronaldo were - at most - only the fourth best player in the world in 2013.
One vote is awarded to each captain, manager and a media representative of FIFA member nations, and as the captains of Argentina and Portugal, both Messi and Ronaldo were allowed a vote, though they couldn't vote for themselves.
Top choice: Lionel Messi voted for Andres Iniesta as his choice for the Ballon d'Or
Omitted: Messi voted for Xavi (left) and Neymar in second and third, completely omitting Cristiano Ronaldo
Messi was obviously pleased with his Barcelona team-mates' form last year, as he went for Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Neymar as his selections.
Ronaldo plumped for Colombia and Moncao hitman Radamel Falcao in first place, while his second and third choices had a north London flavour with new team-mate Gareth Bale ahead of former team-mate Mesut Ozil.
Messi will probably want a word with his national coach Alejandro Sabella, as he gave Ronaldo a vital point, selecting him third, behind Messi and Franck Ribery.
The Bayern Munich winger eventually finished third, with France captain Hugo Lloris and manager Didier Deschamps voting for him in first place. Both omitted Messi, but Deschamps did vote for Ronaldo in second place.
Hitman: Ronaldo thought Radamel Falcao was the best player in the world in 2013
Old and new: Ronaldo voted for Gareth Bale (left) in second place and former team-mate Mesut Ozil in third
Great goal! Zlatan Ibrahimovic won the Puskas Award for goal of the year
Portugal boss Paulo Bento made a much more tactically astute selection, choosing Ronaldo, Falcao and Arjen Robben, omitting Messi completely.
Both Roy Hodgson and Steven Gerrard selected Ronaldo with their first pick, but they differed after that.
Hodgson thought Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robin van Persie's brilliant season for Manchester United was worthy of mention, while Gerrard selected Messi second and Liverpool team-mate Luis Suarez in third.
Liverpool nod: England skipper Steve Gerrard voted for club mate Luis Suarez (below)
Arrival: Ronaldo arrives with his son and girlfriend Irina Shayk
Ibrahimovic, who won the Puskas Award for his outrageous propeller kick against England, held no such animosity towards his rivals, voting for Ribery, Messi and Ronaldo, while both Samuel Eto'o and Didier Drigba voted for Yaya Toure.
The Italians also voted for their man, Gianluigi Buffon and Cesare Prandelli both voting for Andrea Pirlo in first place.
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