Cristiano Ronaldo has once again made headlines following the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony. But, as expected, not for the right reasons. According to reports, the Portuguese legend did not vote to choose the winner of the Kopa Trophy. Ronaldo did come out and let his opinion be known of Lionel Messi winning his 8th Ballon d’Or. Now, it has been reported that he didn’t cast his vote for the Kopa Trophy too.
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No vote from Cristiano Ronaldo for Kopa Trophy
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Ballon d’Or journey in recent years appears to be a fall from glory. While the 38-year-old won the prize five times between 2008 and 2017, he has gone empty-handed in the last six years. This also indicates a dramatic decline in his position at 38.
The Al-Nassr skipper didn’t even reach the shortlist this year. To make matters worse, Lionel Messi won the award for the eighth time in his career. This win further cementing his status among the sport’s all-time greats.
The Ballon d’Or jury this year consisted of 100 journalists from the top 100 FIFA-ranked countries. Messi won with 462 points, 105 points ahead of Erling Haaland, who finished second, according to Eurosport.
France Football entrusted the Kopa Trophy, which annually celebrates the world’s greatest U-21 player, to former Ballon d’Or winners. Cristiano Ronaldo apparently rejected to compete despite being eligible due to his five previous victories.
In his absence, Messi, Benzema, and Zidane voted. In the end, Jude Bellingham was awarded for his great season with Borussia Dortmund and World Cup performance with England. According to Sportskeeda, Cristiano Ronaldo has not responded to French media demands and has not served on the panel for over a year.
Jude Bellingham has been in a rich vein of form for Real Madrid. He ended up as the winner of the award. Jude was followed by Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala and Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde.
CR7 not happy with Messi Ballon d’Or win
This was not the only news that broke up in regard to the Ballon d’Or and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Al-Nassr player was clearly not too amused with Messi’s historic 8th Ballon d’Or win this time.
Cristiano Ronaldo was not present at the ceremony this time. Over the years, the pair have had a long-standing rivalry as they competed for the title of best player in the world. Messi’s eighth Ballon d’Or victory now puts him three trophies ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s five, and many believe the discussion is over.
Some supporters believe the Portuguese superstar is hurting himself by falling further behind his competitor. Tomás Roncero, a Spanish journalist, posted a video after the ceremony in Paris.
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The video was critisizing Lionel Messi’s 8th Ballon d’Or win. Cristiano Ronaldo then commented on the scathing video on Instagram leaving four laughing emoji’s underneath the post. It is not yet known what CR7 was intending to do and what he meant. But it seems clear that he is salty about Messi winning his 8th Ballon d’Or.
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