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Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been ridiculed online following a lowly ranking in the 2022 Ballon d'Or. The Portuguese forward was ranked 20th in the latest edition of France Football's prestigious award.
Ronaldo has been one of the ever-present members of the Ballon d'Or ceremony over the past many years. The forward has already won the award five times, the second-most in the history of the prestigious 'Golden Ball.'
Football fans on Twitter, however, destroyed the Manchester United forward for a dip in his rankings. Some fans stated that this could be Ronaldo's final nomination in the Ballon d'Or, while others stated that the forward's best times are behind him now.
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Here are a few reactions from football fans after Cristiano Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or ranking was unveiled on social media:
It is worth mentioning that Cristiano Ronaldo's 2021-22 season was worthy of a place in the top 30. The Portugal skipper managed to score 24 goals from 38 appearances for Manchester United last time around, including scoring 18 times in the Premier League.
Despite Ronaldo's low ranking, he still finds himself a place above some of the young players and established stars from the English game. The Manchester United forward finds has been ranked a place above Tottenham Hotspur forward Harry Kane and two places above Phil Foden from Manchester City and Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Cristiano Ronaldo, however, has seen his ranking drop significantly from last year's Ballon d'Or. The former Real Madrid and Juventus star was ranked sixth in last year's ceremony. This year sees him fall 14 places.
Cristiano Ronaldo might not add to his five Ballon d'Or awards next year
Cristiano Ronaldo has not made the best of the starts to the 2022-23 season for Manchester United. The Portuguese forward has scored just two goals from 12 games for the Red Devils across all competitions.
Based on his current form, it is highly unlikely that Ronaldo will add to his five awards next year.
Ronaldo has found it tough to break into Manchester United's starting XI under the management of Erik ten Hag. The former Real Madrid forward has started just six games for United this season, including just twice in the Premier League.
Things could, however, turn for Ronaldo should Portugal do well at the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The forward could still be in the running for a sixth Ballon d'Or should he guide Portugal to their first World Cup or take them deep into the tournament.
