‘It’s not that Messi didn’t deserve it, but…’ – Cristiano Ronaldo critical of Ballon d’Or & The Best | OneFootball

Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo has this morning revealed his take that some of world football’s most prestigious individual prizes are ‘losing credibility’.

Ronaldo’s claim, of course, comes fresh off the awarding of FIFA’s ‘The Best’ player sparking widespread debate.

After a tie in voting between Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland, the former ultimately emerged victorious, courtesy of 1st-placed ballots from international football’s leading captains.

Many have since argued, however, that the Argentine should not even have been in the conversation, with his World Cup triumph having come back in 2022, and Messi having since been plying his club trade between France and the United States.

Frontman Haaland, on the other hand, is fresh off a record-breaking Premier League campaign, and historic treble with Manchester City.

One individual, meanwhile, who certainly appears to be of the opinion that some of the more recent high-profile individual accolades should have gone elsewhere, comes in the form of the aforementioned Cristiano Ronaldo.

Speaking to Record (via Fabrizio Romano) after clinching a trio of awards as a result of his goalscoring endeavours in the Middle East, the veteran frontman was asked for his take on the Ballon d’Or and The Best prizes – both currently held by long-time rival Messi.

And the Portuguese, in his response, seemingly went on to suggest that he should have been more strongly considered, with both ceremonies therefore ‘losing credibility’:

“Ballon d’Or and The Best are losing credibility.

“It’s not to say that Messi didn’t deserve it, or Haaland or even Mbappé… but the numbers are there and the numbers don’t deceive.

“You’ve got to consider the entire season. The numbers are facts.”

Conor Laird | GSFN