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Ballon d’Or chief Vincent Garcia has revealed that Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has refused to vote in the awards.
Garcia hinted that Ronaldo might be among those who feel “very upset” with some of the award decisions, particularly in recent seasons.
Ronaldo, who has won the Ballon d’Or five times—second only to Lionel Messi’s eight—hasn’t claimed the title of world’s best since 2017, despite continuing to perform at the highest level in the years since.
After Messi’s most recent win in 2023, the Portugal captain even liked an Instagram post suggesting Messi had won three more awards than he should have.
This year marked the first time in 21 years that both legends failed to make the 30-man shortlist, even as Messi led Argentina to Copa America triumph.
“Winners have the right to come back to all future ceremonies, but they don’t all come; some are very upset with us. I don’t know for certain if Cristiano is—I don’t talk to him directly—but I know, for example, that former winners vote for the Kopa
Trophy for the best young player, and Cristiano didn’t vote last year and didn’t vote this year either.”
Ronaldo, now playing his football for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia remains incredibly competitive and is unlikely to vote or attend the Ballon d’Or anytime soon.
Online Reporter
Langa Mabena
