Cristiano Ronaldo harshly criticized FIFA and the Ballon d'Or award

Saudi Al Nassr forward and Portuguese national football team striker Cristiano Ronaldo expressed his opinion that awards for the world's best football player, such as the Ballon d'Or and The Best awards from FIFA, lose credibility and trust when not based on numbers and facts.

Earlier, Inter Miami forward and Argentine national team player Lionel Messi won the FIFA Best Player of the Year award for the third time. The award was also contested by Norwegian Manchester City forward Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe. In October, Messi became an eight-time recipient of the Ballon d'Or award. Meanwhile, Ronaldo became the laureate of the Globe Soccer Awards named after Diego Maradona, awarded to the top scorer of the year.

"I think, in a sense, these trophies lose authority and trust. We need to analyze the entire season. It doesn't mean Messi, Haaland, or even Mbappe didn't deserve it. It's just that I no longer believe in these awards, and not because I won the Globe Soccer Awards, but these are facts; numbers speak for themselves, and they don't lie. They can't take this trophy away from me because numbers are facts, it's reality, and it makes me happier," Ronaldo said, as quoted by Record.

Last year, the 38-year-old Ronaldo scored 54 goals and became the top scorer of the year worldwide. His closest pursuers, PSG's Kylian Mbappe and Bayern Munich's Harry Kane, scored 52 goals each.

Published by Patrick Jane
21.01.2024