The coveted “Ballon d’Or” will be awarded on October 30th. While world champion Lionel Messi is considered a big favorite alongside Erling Haaland, a superstar is not on the list.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who has moved to Saudi Arabia, has not been nominated for the award for the first time since 2004. However, the five-time winner does not want to know anything about jealousy or even rivalry with Lionel Messi: “I don’t see anything like that. The rivalry is gone. The viewers liked it. If you like Ronaldo, you don’t have to hate Messi and vice versa. We did well. We’ve also changed the history of football and we’re respected, that’s the most important thing,” said the 38-year-old.
Since moving to the Middle East last January, Ronaldo has been joined by a number of the sport’s biggest names in the Saudi Pro League.
Neymar, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante are among the top talent now playing in the Saudi top flight and the 38-year-old credits himself with starting the trend. “I was the pioneer and I’m proud of it. What I wish for most is to keep evolving so that the league can be top-notch,” said the Al-Nassr forward.
Ronaldo wants to buy a ticket for the European Championship
The Al-Nassr striker much prefers to concentrate on qualifying for the European Championship. Because with a win against the pursuer Slovakia on Friday (8.45 p.m.) Ronaldo could fix the European Championship participation for Portugal. With 123 goals in 200 appearances for former European champions Portugal, “CR7” is also the world record goalscorer for an international match. A Ballon d’Or award is more or less unnoticed.
2023-09-07 12:52:26
#Ronaldos #Ballon #dOr #era
