Cristiano Ronaldo's no show at the UEFA gala in Monaco has got plenty of people talking including Juventus great Alessandro Del Piero.
As well as the UEFA Champions League group stage draw, the European footballing governing body also handed out a slew of awards which Ronaldo was nominated for.
While the Portuguese superstar was named 'Forward of the Season', he failed to bag the 'Men's Player of the Year' which ultimately went to Luka Modric.
The Croatian midfielder was present, and collected his accolade with other nominee Mohamed Salah traveling to the UEFA award.
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But Ronaldo didn't bother making the trip as he knew he wasn't going to win.
Del Piero has since reacted to Ronaldo's petulance.
"Giving the award to Luka Modric was the right decision," he told Sky Sport Italia via Football Italia.
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"If he had gone, there would've been no controversy. If there was controversy, it means there was a mix-up somewhere. I don't know what happened.
"I know I'd have had sour grapes if I didn't win the award, but not going is a different matter entirely."
The 43-year-old then commented on his former sides defensive system, and Ronaldo's current form.
"Our defensive systems are among the best in the world, if not the best. We like to crowd the box, so by bringing him a little away from [the box], it can give him a bit more freedom.
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"Still, he tends to do better in the second half of the season, plus it'll be different in the Champions League.
"In Europe there will be a lot more space and teams will want to keep the ball more, so space for counterattacks will open up.
"How many goals did Ronaldo score at Real Madrid on the break? He scored like that in the Final against Juventus."
Will Ronaldo score his first competitive Juventus goal following the international break?
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Alessandro Del Piero, Football News, Football, Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid
