Ballon d'Or 'should go to Champions League winner', says Ronaldo
Speaking ahead of Sunday's Nations League final in Munich between Portugal and Spain, the veteran said "trophies" should determine who wins the Ballon d'Or.
"In my opinion, whoever wins it should be on a team that has won trophies. The Ballon d'Or winner should be in a team that has won the Champions League," the 40-year-old forward told reporters.
First awarded in 1956 by French magazine France Football, the Ballon d'Or is awarded to the player considered the best over the previous season.
Paris Saint-Germain's 5-0 thumping of Inter Milan in the Champions League final last Saturday led to growing calls for Ousmane Dembele to win this season's gong.
Spain starlet Lamine Yamal's superb display in Thursday's 5-4 Nations League semi-final win over France however had some arguing the teenager should be awarded the Ballon d'Or, which would make the 17-year-old the youngest winner in its history.
France coach Didier Deschamps backed Dembele for the award, saying "considering the season Ousmane is having, he deserves it and that's all I wish for him".
At a press conference in Stuttgart on Saturday, France captain Kylian Mbappe told reporters he backed Dembele.
"Does anyone really need me to explain? Right now we're talking about Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele, but I'm voting for Dembele."
Ronaldo said he "cannot tell you who deserves it" this season.
Ronaldo's five wins is bettered only by Argentinian Lionel Messi, who has won the award eight times.
The duo had a monopoly on the award for a decade from Ronaldo's first win in 2008 to his last in 2017.
The current holder is Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
Kane spares England's blushes in lacklustre win over Andorra
Thomas Tuchel's side were booed off by England fans in the RCDE Stadium after struggling to impress against a team ranked 173rd in the world. Kane's 72nd international goal ensured England avoided the ultimate embarrassment of failing to beat such lowly opposition. Tuchel is the first England manager to win his first three competitive games without conceding a goal. But given the paucity of opposition provided by Andorra, Latvia and Albania in the Group K qualifiers, that achievement rings a little hollow after this miserable display. "I'm not happy with the performance. We completely lost the momentum and couldn't get it back. We ended up in a place that was not good enough in terms of urgency," Tuchel said. "We can just admit it that it's not what we expect from us. I was most worried in the last 20 minutes because I didn't like the attitude we ended the game with. "I didn't like the lack of urgency. It did not match the occasion. It is still a World Cup qualifier." Tuchel had warned that England's tired stars should not be expected to thrash Andorra after gruelling domestic seasons. The German cited the motivational difficulties posed by the summer international break, just before nine of his players jet off to the Club World Cup in the United States. His fears proved prescient as England laboured to establish any rhythm in a soporific match with the feel of a pre-season friendly. It was a far cry from the pulsating drama produced by Spain and France in their recent Nations League semi-final, underlining the task facing Tuchel as he builds up to the 2026 World Cup. Tuchel didn't help England's cause by fielding an experimental side. Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones started at right-back and Chelsea right-back Reece James featured at left-back. With Declan Rice rested, Ajax midfielder Jordan Henderson, 34, made his first England start since 2023, becoming the Three Lions' oldest player since Frank Lampard 11 years ago. Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka was left out after only completing one training session this week, leaving Noni Madueke, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer to line up behind striker Harry Kane. Bereft of ideas Chelsea winger Madueke impressed but Palmer and Rogers were underwhelming. Andorra hadn't scored an international goal for more than two years and they quickly settled into a defensive formation that allowed England to monopolise possession. As Tuchel had predicted, England didn't find it easy to prise open a massed Andorra defence featuring nine men behind the ball at all times. Madueke's drive from the edge of the area was pushed away by Andorra keeper Iker Alvarez. Kane should have broken the deadlock with a close-range chance from Jones' cut-back, but the England captain prodded wastefully wide. Given Tuchel's desire to see his player perform in the warm Catalan temperatures ahead of the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, it was instructive to see England struggle to find the energy and purpose required to make Andorra uncomfortable. They moved the ball too slowly, and were reduced them to hopeful efforts from distance, with Jude Bellingham's 25-yard shot comfortably saved by Alvarez. England looked bereft of ideas and the fans were beginning to grumble. Kane eased the mounting pressure when the Bayern Munich striker made the breakthrough five minutes after the interval. After Kane's initial shot was saved, Madueke alertly guided a low cross back into the six-yard box for the England captain to tap into the empty net. It was a modest way to reach a milestone for Kane, who has a remarkable 450 career goals for club and country in 697 games. England still couldn't find any momentum and were nearly punished in the closing stages when Guillaume Lopez's shot was blocked by Ezri Konsa.
France 24
7 hours ago
- France 24
Spain-Portugal final more than just Cristiano vs Yamal says Ronaldo
The final in Munich has been framed as a showdown between veteran Ronaldo, 40, one of the game's biggest names, and 17-year-old Yamal, the most exciting young talent in world football. Ronaldo scored the winner to send Portugal past Germany into the final and Yamal was named man-of-the-match after bagging a brace in Spain's wild 5-4 semi-final win over France. Ronaldo however said the focus on the two individuals was overblown, calling Spain "maybe the best national team in the world". "There are different generations, one is coming in and another is exiting the stage. If you want to see me as another generation, then that's OK. "When you talk about a clash between Cristiano and someone else, that's not how it works. The media always try to hype things up, which is a normal thing, but it's one team versus another team." "You've been talking about Lamine a lot and you're right to do so because he's very good," Ronaldo told journalists, adding "but I'd like to talk about the team. "They've got Nico Williams, great midfielders like Pedri and their coach (Luis) de la Fuente is very good, very strong, very disciplined." 'Funny hair' Portugal last beat their Iberian neighbours in a competitive fixture in 21 years ago at Euro 2024, a match which Ronaldo started. Like Yamal, Ronaldo burst onto the scene at a young age. Aged just 18, Ronaldo impressed so much for boyhood side Sporting in a 3-1 win over Manchester United in a friendly in Lisbon that the English club decided to buy him, bringing him to Old Trafford less than a week later. Like a young Ronaldo, Yamal has consistently impressed since bursting onto the scene, winning a league and cup double with Barcelona this season after lifting the Euro 2024 title in Germany last summer. The Portuguese veteran asked media to allow the teenager to grow and improve without pressure, reminding them the Spanish star "with funny hair" was just "three years older than my son". "The kid has been doing very well, but what I ask is for you to let him grow, not put him under pressure. For the good of football, we need to let him grow in his own way and enjoy the talent he has." Both Spain and Portugal have already won the Nations League. Spain are the current champions from their win in 2023, while Portugal won the inaugural tournament back in 2019.
France 24
7 hours ago
- France 24
Luis Henrique joins Inter Milan ahead of Club World Cup
"A new Inter player joins the family, welcome Luis," this season's Italian Serie A and Champions League runners-up said on Saturday. The Brazilian, who arrived in Marseille in 2020, made 108 appearances and scored 11 goals for the French club in all competitions. He went on loan to Botafogo in 2022, returning to Ligue 1 in January 2024, scoring seven goals and providing eight assists in the league last term. According to the Italian press, Inter will pay 23 million euros ($26 million) for the 23-year-old. Inter also signed Croatian midfielder Petar Sucic last week for 14 million euros from Dinamo Zagreb, with the Club World Cup kicking off on June 14 in the United States. "I am very happy to have signed for such a big club. I think it will be a huge jump in quality in my career," said the Brazilian. "I have known this league very well since a young age. "There have many important Brazilians that have played here at Inter. I also want to make history here, just like they did." He added: "I hope we will make it as far as possible and that we will manage to win this competition that is starting soon." The northern Italian giants are also expected to formalise the arrival of Cristian Chivu early next week as the replacement for coach Simone Inzaghi, who left to join Saudi club Al Hilal.
