Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister makes feelings clear after Lionel Messi’s eighth Ballon d’Or win | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister appears to have made her feelings clear after Lionel Messi won a record-breaking eighth Ballon d’Or award earlier this week.

Katia Aveiro reacted positively to a post on Instagram which stated that her brother Ronaldo had earned all his five Ballon d’Or awards and wasn’t given any of them. Some of Cristiano’s hardcore fans have suggested that Messi hadn’t done enough since last August to merit winning this year’s prestigious individual accolade, despite inspiring Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar.

Messi was in scintillating form during last year’s World Cup, scoring seven goals over the course of the tournament, including a brace in the final against France. Only Kylian Mbappe, who netted a hat-trick in the final but still found himself on the losing side after the penalty shootout, scored more goals.

Mbappe finished third in the voting for the 2023 Ballon d’Or award, behind second-placed Erling Haaland, who won the treble with Manchester City and broke the record for most goals in a single Premier League season (36) during his debut campaign in English football. However, most fans and pundits were in agreement that Messi was a worthy winner thanks to his remarkable exploits in Qatar. Without their legendary forward, it’s safe to assume that Argentina would not have become world champions for the third time.

Messi's reaction to winning eighth Ballon d'Or

“I only have words of gratitude for all the people around the world who supported me so much during my career and to whom I want to specially dedicate this award, along with my family who was always by my side,” Messi wrote in a heartfelt post on Instagram after his latest Ballon d’Or triumph. “This is a Ballon d'Or that I also want to share with my fellow, technical body, the employees... Because without the World Cup we achieved together it would have been impossible to win it. Congratulations to all the winners and many thanks!”

Cristiano Ronaldo's reaction raised eyebrows

Rather than congratulate Messi, his long-term rival, Ronaldo (who wasn’t nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or award) posted a series of laughing emojis on Instagram while reacting to comments from Tomas Roncero, editor-in-chief of Spanish newspaper AS, who claimed that Messi should have lost out on this year’s Ballon d’Or to Haaland. Furthermore, he claims the South American should currently be tied with Ronaldo on five Ballons d’Or, rather than eight.

Ronaldo's sister makes feelings clear

In similar fashion, Ronaldo’s sister posted a series of clapping emojis while reacting to a post showing Ronaldo alongside his five Ballon d’Or awards with the caption: “Earned, not given”. Check out the post below.

It’s no secret that Ronaldo has always wanted to cement his status as the greatest footballer of all time and seeing Messi go three Ballon d’Or awards clear at this late stage in their careers must hurt his pride. Ronaldo, 39 in February, and Messi, who turned 36 in June, are still unbelievable footballers but it wouldn’t be a shock if they fail to win another Ballon d’Or between them between now and the day they retire.