The Portuguese superstar has five Ballons d’Or in his remarkable collection of trophies, but has not been named the best player on the planet since 2017. That success put him on par with his eternal rival Lionel Messi, but the icon Argentina has added three more to its tally since then.
After Messi’s latest triumph in 2023, Ronaldo liked an Instagram post from a Madrid-based journalist who claimed the World Cup-winning striker had won three Ballons d’Or too many. Neither Messi nor Ronaldo are on the list of contenders for the 2024 prize – the first time in 21 years.
Garcia – who is editor-in-chief of France Football, the publication which has awarded the Ballon d’Or since 1956 – is unsure whether Ronaldo will attend the final ceremony because he has made a habit of renouncing his right to vote. Garcia told the Times: “
The winners have the right to come back to all future ceremonies, but not all of them come, some are very angry with us. I don’t know for sure if Cristiano is, I don’t speak to him directly, but I know for example that past winners vote for the Kopa Trophy – for the best young player – and Cristiano didn’t vote all year last year and he didn’t vote this year either. »
Cr7 no longer votes
While Messi and Ronaldo, who now ply their respective trades in MLS and the Saudi Pro League for Inter Miami and Al-Nassr, are not on the list of 2024 finalists, Garcia believes they would still have attracted supports. He added: “If they were on the shortlist this year, I’m sure they would have gotten votes. »
France Football is not in the business of trying to please everyone with sentimental votes, with Garcia revealing he has received complaints of late. He declared, after having neglected Kylian Mbappé in 2023 during his vote for France:
“Last year I received a message from someone who was very unhappy with my vote. It didn’t last. »
