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Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have aimed a dig at Lionel Messi over his eighth Ballon d'Or win.
The Argentine icon made history on October 30 when he won the Ballon d'Or for a record-extending eighth time. He finished at the top of the rankings with 462 points, above Erling Haaland (357) and Kylian Mbappe (270). On the other hand, Cristiano Ronaldo was shockingly omitted for the first time since 2004.
Lionel Messi led Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022, scoring seven goals and winning the Golden Ball in Qatar. He also netted 32 goals and provided 25 assists in 55 appearances across all competitions for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Inter Miami, winning the Ligue 1 title and Leagues Cup.
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However, many fans felt that Manchester City forward Erling Haaland should have won his maiden Ballon d'Or. The 23-year-old had a monstrous 2022-23 campaign, posting 52 goals and nine assists in 53 appearances, helping the Cityzens win the treble.
A Facebook page named GOATnaldo Junction shared a post on January 14 captioned:
"The Ballon d'Or hits different when it's earned."
Their post appears to have been paid for by Cristiano Ronaldo, as seen below (via @BarcaWorldwide):
This comes as no surprise as Cristiano Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, recently stated that he believed these awards were losing credibility after Lionel Messi was crowned FIFA The Best Men's Player of 2023.
Could Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi win the 2024 Ballon d'Or?
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have both reigned supreme for nearly two decades, winning a total of 13 Ballons d'Or. While the latter recently won his eighth, let's take a look at the stats to see if either superstar is likely to win this year's award.
Cristiano Ronaldo hasn't won the award since 2017 and failed to make the final 30 shortlist in 2023. However, the 38-year-old has enjoyed an exceptional start to the season for Al-Nassr, netting 24 goals and registering 11 assists in 25 appearances in total.
The Portugal megastar also finished 2023 as the highest goalscorer with 54 goals for club (44) and country (10). If Ronaldo were to find success in the Saudi Pro League and UEFA Euro 2024, he would have a good chance of securing his sixth Golden Ball.
On the other hand, Lionel Messi has started well for Inter Miami, scoring 11 goals and providing five assists in 14 appearances, winning the Leagues Cup. However, the 36-year-old hasn't been in action since October due to the MLS offseason and is expected to return to the pitch in late February.
As per GiveMeSport, the current favorites to win the Ballon d'Or are Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, with both stars shining for Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, respectively.
