“I didn’t watch the ceremony” - Cristiano Ronaldo makes pointed remark at Lionel Messi winning The Best FIFA Men’s Player award

Cristiano Ronaldo took a sly dig at FIFA for naming Lionel Messi The Best Men's Player 2023, claiming he 'didn't watch the ceremony'. He made the comments in a recent interview with Portuguese media outlet Record.

The crux of the discussion in the interview was the credibility and level of football leagues around the world. The interviewer asked Ronaldo (via X user The CR7 Timeline):

"Does it bother you that Saudi Arabia is referred to as the league with less visibility? for example, Lionel Messi recently won the Best award and played practically all year in the MLS, which also doesn’t have the visibility of European football?"

To which, the Portuguese superstar simply replied:

“I’m used to it and I know how these organisations work. To be honest I didn’t watch the ceremony of the best awards.”

The interviewer then quizzed him about the controversy surrounding Messi being named the best player over Erling Haaland, who led Manchester City to the European treble in the 2022-23 season. To this, he replied:

“I think that, in a way these awards are losing credibility. We have to analyse the entire season. It’s not to say that Messi didn’t deserve it, or Haaland or even Mbappe, I simple no longer believe in these awards and it’s not because I won at the globe soccer but these are facts, the numbers are there and the numbers don’t deceive. They can’t take this trophy away from me because it’s a reality, So it makes me even happier, because the numbers are facts.”

Cristiano had an incredible goal-scoring year in 2023, scoring 54 goals in 59 games across competitions for Al-Nassr and the Portugal national team. He pipped the likes of Bayern Munich's Harry Kane, PSG's Kylian Mbappe and Haaland to finish as the top goalscorer in the world in 2023.

Cristiano Ronaldo predicts Manchester City to repeat UCL triumph but hopes he is wrong

Cristiano Ronaldo backed Manchester City to repeat their UEFA Champions League (UCL) heroics from last season and lift the trophy once again in the 2023-24 season, but hoped they didn't.

In a Q&A at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, with City's Ruben Dias and Kyle Walker on stage with him, Ronaldo stated:

"I think they have the potential to do the same. I hope not, but they have potential. They still have a good team. Some players are in their prime. They play good football."

He also pointed to the unpredictability of the Champions League, a competition that he won four times with Real Madrid and once with Manchester United, saying that anything could happen. He said:

"I think they (City) have a good chance to win the Champions League again. But we will see. Many factors will happen."

Both City and Ronaldo's ex-club Madrid won all six of their group-stage matches and comfortably qualified for the Round of 16, where the former will take on Copenhagen, while the latter will face RB Leipzig.