Cristiano Ronaldo slammed the Ballon d’Or awards by criticising the credibility of this year’s winner.
In October, Manchester City’s Rodri won the Ballon d’Or after a campaign in which the 28-year-old lost just one game and won the Premier League, Uefa Super Cup, Club World Cup and European Championships.
However, Real Madrid boycotted the ceremony in Paris, after Rodri beat Vinicius Junior to the men’s prize.
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As per reports from news agency AFP and Spanish media, Real said their representatives would not go where Real were "not respected" after learning Vinicius would miss out on the trophy.
Vinicius was Real top scorer in a campaign that saw the Spanish giants win the Champions League and La Liga. After Rodri was confirmed as the winner, Vinicius posted on X: "I'll do it 10x if I have to. They're not ready."
And five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo has now come out in support of the Brazilian, insisting he should have won the trophy while questioning the credibility of the prestigious prize.
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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.
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“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 contingent of global stars in the audience listening to Ronaldo’s comments.
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Ballon d'Or, Rodri, Real Madrid, Vinicius Junior, Manchester City, Premier League
Chris Byfield