Ronaldo began his Ballon d'Or reign in 2008, and only Modric and Benzema broke his duopoly with Messi by 2023.

Torres had a promising 2007/08 season for Liverpool but never reached the stardom Gerrard predicted at the Ballon d'Or.

Despite multiple achievements post-Liverpool, Torres never received another Ballon d'Or nod after close 2008 miss.

Cristiano Ronaldo clinched the first of his four Ballon d'Or awards in 2008. The Portuguese forward played a pivotal role in Manchester United's Premier League and Champions League double during the 2007/08 season, netting an impressive 42 goals across all competitions. Out of the 96 journalists who cast their votes, 77 selected Ronaldo as their winner. However, there was another rising star that year whom Steven Gerrard believed would eventually claim the prestigious top spot.

As it turned out, that prediction never came to pass. Little did anyone know at the time, but 2008 would mark the beginning of Ronaldo's 16-year duopoly with the soon-to-be Barcelona rival, Lionel Messi. Between 2008 and 2023, only Luka Modric and Karim Benzema would break their stranglehold on the award, leaving no Premier League player close to winning the coveted Ballon d'Or.

At just 23 years old, Ronaldo became the youngest player to ever win the prestigious individual accolade, and he remains the last to do so while playing for a Premier League club. That year, the Portugal international amassed 446 points out of a possible 480, while Messi earned 281. However, it was third-placed Fernando Torres, who garnered 179 votes, that Gerrard was convinced would be wearing the crown.