“It was unfair” – Cristiano Ronaldo SLAMS Ballon d’Or, claims Vinicius Jr. deserved it

Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo broke his silence on the 2024 Ballon d'Or controversy, claiming that Vinicius Jr. deserved to win it.


“It was unfair” – Cristiano Ronaldo SLAMS Ballon d’Or, claims Vinicius Jr. deserved it

Cristiano Ronaldo claimed that Vinicius Jr. deserved to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or award. (via Football Italia)

Al-Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo broke his silence on the 2024 Ballon d’Or controversy by claiming that Real Madrid starlet Vinicius Jr. deserved to win it. The Brazilian forward came second in the Ballon d’Or race, as Manchester City star Rodri won the coveted prize.

Vinicius Jr. was one of the favorites to win the Ballon d’Or after a stellar season, winning La Liga and the UCL. However, the night before the ceremony, rumors emerged that the 24-year-old would miss out. Subsequently, Spaniard Rodri went on to claim the 2024 Ballon d’Or. The entire Los Blancos delegation skipped the event in Paris in protest.

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Despite losing out on the award, Vinicius Jr. silenced critics with his FIFA Best Men’s Player of the Year and, most recently, the Globe Soccer Player of the Year award wins. Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo spoke out against Vinicius being ‘unfairly’ snubbed for the Ballon d’Or. He shared his opinions by stating that the Brazilian deserved to win it after a brilliant UCL campaign, where he scored in the final.

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While agreeing that Rodri also deserved to win it, he claimed that Vini was ahead of him in the race. The 39-year-old further criticized the France Football magazine, which awards the Ballon d’Or, for their biased attitude. Moreover, he praised the Globe Soccer Awards as honest. 

In my opinion, he [Vinicius] deserved to win the Golden Ball. It was unfair in my opinion… You know these galas, they always do the same thing. This is why I love Globe Soccer Awards, they are honest.

Cristiano Ronaldo on 2024 Ballon d’Or (H/T GOAL)

Meanwhile, Ronaldo himself received two awards at the Globe Soccer Awards ceremony in Dubai. He was named the Best Middle East Player of 2024. It marks the second time he has won this award, after scoring 74 goals in his two seasons at Saudi PL side Al-Nassr.

Cristiano Ronaldo aims a dig at his old club Manchester United amid recent downfall

Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo insisted that Manchester United’s recent problems are not to be blamed upon new manager Ruben Amorim. He instead suggested that there are internal issues, also associated with the club’s owners. 

Cristiano Ronaldo on Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo took a dig at Manchester United’s owners (via Football 365)

Ronaldo had departed Man Utd after his second stint at the club, owing to differences with manager Erik ten Hag. Critical of the club’s ownership, the Portuguese superstar claimed that managers are not the problem at Old Trafford. He used an example of a fish in an aquarium. The 39-year-old exclaimed that the Red Devils’ problems are deep-rooted, and there is a need to fix the administration.  

I said this one year and a half ago and I will continue to say it, the problem is not the coaches.

Cristiano Ronaldo on Manchester United (H/T Sky Sports)

Interestingly, the Al-Nassr star added that he would have adjusted things had he been the owner of the club. It points in the direction that Ronaldo might take up an ownership role at his former club following his retirement.