Ex-Juventus and Italy centre-half Leonardo Bonucci has singled out one unexpected Serie A striker as the star he least liked to face during his playing career

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated world football for over a decade, winning multiple Ballon d'Or awards, the most prestigious individual honor a footballer can receive. But who holds more Ballon d'Ors,

Leonardo Bonucci had a surprising response when revealing which player was his toughest opponent, not mentioning Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Leonardo Bonucci, the former Juventus and Milan defender,

"God, before games against his Atalanta side, I couldn’t sleep at night. His power and physicality made him my nightmare. Then, I was lucky enough to play against so many champions. [Didier] Drogba, Ronaldo, Messi, [Fernando] Torres, and I forget others, but it was too good."

Former Juventus and Milan defender Leonardo Bonucci was ‘lucky’ to face great champions in his career, including Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but his ‘nightmare’ was Duvan Zapata.Bonucci

For the first time since 2003, this year’s Ballon d’Or shortlist does not include the two record winners. Between them, Messi and Ronaldo have won 13 Ballon d’Or awards, with the Argentine taking eight. That includes a run of four consecutive awards from 2009 to 2012.