"You give honest awards" - Cristiano Ronaldo appears to take dig at Ballon d'Or during Globe Soccer Awards gala
Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have taken a dig at the Ballon d'Or following Rodri's emergence as the 2024 winner. He also claimed that he loves the Globe Soccer Awards and they give honest awards.
At the 15th edition of the Globe Soccer Awards, Ronaldo commented on the Ballon d'Or. He said (via Globe Soccer Awards on YouTube):
"This gala always seem to do the same thing. this is why I love Globe Soccer and continue to support it because you give honest awards, so this is very good."
Ronaldo's latest comment could be reportedly tied to Rodri's emergence as the 2024 winner ahead of Vinicius. The Spaniard's win raised several debates on social media as some supporters felt that Vinicius deserved to win the award.
Rodri scored nine goals and registered 14 assists in 50 games across competitions for Manchester City last season. The Spaniard won the 2023-24 Premier League title with Manchester City and the 2024 UEFA Euro competition with Spain.
Meanwhile, Vinicius scored 23 goals and registered 11 assists in 39 appearances last season. The Brazilian won the LaLiga, the Champions League and Supercopa de Espana with Real Madrid. As per a report by 90min, Rodri registered 1,170 points to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or. Meanwhile, Vinicius secured 1,129 points and came second in the rankings.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or five times. His first was in 2008 at Manchester United. He secured the award in 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017 at Real Madrid.
Ronaldo has scored 74 goals and registered 18 assists in 83 games since joining Al-Nassr from Manchester United in January 2023. In the 2024-25 campaign, he has scored 16 goals and registered three assists in 19 games for Al-Nassr.
Which player has won the most Ballon d'Or awards in history?
Lionel Messi is the player who has won the most Ballons d'Or with eight. His first win was in 2009, a year after Ronaldo, who's his closest rival, won the award. He then emerged as the winner in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023. Ronaldo is the second most decorated winner with five. Meanwhile, Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff, and Marco van Basten have three each.
The Argentine international currently plies his trade for Inter Miami CF. He has scored 34 goals and registered 18 assists in 39 games since joining Inter Miami in July 2023. In the 2024 season, Messi scored 21 goals and registered 11 assists in 22 games.
