Cristiano Ronaldo Declines to Vote for Ballon d’Or

Prince Jean

Sunday, October 27, 2024

Cristiano Ronaldo opts out of Ballon d'Or voting amid dissatisfaction with award decisions; neither he nor Lionel Messi are shortlisted for the first time in over two decades. Credit:gettyimages

Vincent Garcia, the head of the Ballon d’Or organization, has stated that Cristiano Ronaldo no longer votes for the award. Garcia suggested that Ronaldo is among the previous winners who are dissatisfied with the decisions made by the award organizers. Ronaldo, who has won the Ballon d’Or five times, has not been named the world’s best footballer since 2017.

After Lionel Messi won the award in 2023, Ronaldo liked an Instagram post claiming Messi had won three more Ballons d’Or than deserved. This year marks the first time in 21 years that neither Messi nor Ronaldo are on the 30-man shortlist.

In an interview with The Times, Garcia commented,

"Winners are invited back to all future ceremonies, but not all attend; some are very upset with us. I don't have direct contact with Cristiano, but I know that he hasn't voted for the Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best young player, for the last two years."