Cristiano Ronaldo criticized the Ballon d’Or awards, questioning the credibility of this year’s winner.
In October, Manchester City’s Rodri won the Ballon d’Or after a season where he lost only one game and secured the Premier League, UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup, and European Championship titles.
However, Real Madrid boycotted the ceremony in Paris after Rodri was chosen over Vinicius Junior for the men’s prize. ..Continue Reading
According to reports from AFP and Spanish media, Real Madrid stated their representatives would not attend the event if they felt “disrespected,” after learning Vinicius would not receive the award.
Vinicius was Real Madrid’s top scorer in a season where they won both the Champions League and La Liga. After Rodri was announced as the winner, Vinicius posted on X: “I’ll do it 10x if I have to. They’re not ready.”
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo has supported Vinicius, stating that he deserved the award and questioning the credibility of the prestigious accolade.
Speaking at the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards on Friday, Ronaldo said: “[Jude] Bellingham, Lamine Yamal, Vinicius Junior, this younger generation do a fantastic job and in my opinion they deserve to win the Ballon d’Or.
“It wasn’t fair in my opinion. I’ll say that here in front of everybody.
“They gave it to Rodri. He deserved it to. But I think they should have given it to Vinicius Jr because he won the Champions League and scored a goal in the final. The other issues for me are not important.
“When someone deserves something, they should get what they deserve. But this is why I love the Global Soccer Awards. It’s because you continue to do honest awards.”
Vinicius was among a number of global stars in the audience listening to Ronaldo’s comments.
