Ballon d'Or 'should go to Champions League winner', says Ronaldo
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo said a player who wins the Champions League should take out the Ballon d'Or (Alexandra BEIER)
Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo said Saturday the individual honour should be awarded to a player who won the Champions League.
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.
Advertisement
"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.
Advertisement
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.
tba-dwi/pi
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Pochettino: Tottenham return ‘not realistic' despite Spurs job opening
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. – Mauricio Pochettino said Saturday night after the U.S. men's national team's 2-1 defeat to Turkey that a return to Tottenham Hotspur at this point in time was 'not realistic.' Asked by a reporter whether he had seen the rumors connecting him to the Spurs job, Pochettino was at first confused by the question. Had he seen the rumors, or was the reporter asking if he was going to take the job? Either way, his answer was clear. Advertisement Tottenham fired Ange Postecoglou on Friday despite his leading Spurs to the Europa League title, the club's first trophy in 17 years. The club also finished 17th in the Premier League with its worst points total and finish in the Premier League era. Pochettino's name has been batted around the betting odds to return to his old job, which he held from 2014-19 to great acclaim. The Argentine pointed out that since leaving Spurs, he has been connected to the Tottenham job each time it has opened. He also pointed out that lists of Spurs' candidates are always long, and his is just one of many names. Pochettino famously led Tottenham to the 2019 Champions League final. 'It's not realistic,' Pochettino said. 'And look at where I am, where [my staff] are.' Pochettino was talking after the U.S. suffered its third straight loss. The U.S. will play in the Gold Cup this summer and Pochettino is under contract through the end of the 2026 World Cup. As he walked off the press conference stage, Pochettino said the rumors are only there because, 'it's my club,' he said, meaning Tottenham. He touched his chest.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ricky Rubio Reacts to Retirement Rumors After Timberwolves Post
Ricky Rubio Reacts to Retirement Rumors After Timberwolves Post originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Former Minnesota Timberwolves star Ricky Rubio isn't hanging it up just yet. Despite reports that interpreted a full-page ad that the 12-year NBA veteran put in the Minnesota Star Tribune as a farewell, Rubio clarified his intent behind the message. Former Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky RubioSergio Estrada-Imagn Images Rubio, who has not played a game of basketball in a year since his team in the Spanish league, Liga Endesa, lost in the semifinals. He spent a year reflecting on his career, prompting a profound thank you to the community that supported him in the NBA. Advertisement The fifth overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft, Rubio spent two years playing overseas before he arrived in Minnesota. View the original article to see embedded media. Teasing his message of gratitude on X, Rubio wrote the following, which was taken as a hint of his retirement: "I took this year to reflect on my career and my life, and I've realized that if I've gotten to where I am today, it's not because of the assists I've given, but because of the assists I've received," he wrote. "This isn't a goodbye, it's a thank you to all the people who have helped me along the way." However, upon an outpouring of reactions to the post, Rubio released a formal statement from a communication agency to clarify that he is not retiring just yet. Advertisement From the agency, per Spanish news outlet Todo Alicante: "This is not a farewell. It's just a thank you. It comes from my year of reflection, and I felt like doing something that is rarely done: thanking those who have been or are important to you. But it has no other message. I still don't know what will happen with my career. That will be the next thing to think about. This is something that comes from within now, and I want to express it while I am still professionally active, although forced to stop due to health issues," The message comes now because I have had enough time to think about everything I have done, and I have realized that what I have achieved is thanks to many people. And I wanted to thank them, massively. One never thanks enough, and doing so by reviewing both my journey as a person and a professional helped me convey it to everyone You all know that certain family moments marked my career, that my mother's illness and passing were very hard, that many mental health issues followed, and that I have not turned that into a taboo subject. Precisely for that reason, I left the national team call-up, spent 6 months taking care of myself, tried to return with FC Barcelona, and had to stop again. Undoubtedly, this has led me on a journey and personal introspection from which this gratitude emanates. Rubio appears to be looking for more opportunities to play basketball, although he last played in the NBA two years ago for the Cleveland Cavaliers. A fan favorite and galvanizing figure through a dim era for the franchise, Rubio played six seasons for the Wolves before he was traded to the Utah Jazz in 2017. He returned for one season and was an early mentor to Anthony Edwards. Related: NBA Contender Eyeing Reunion With Timberwolves' Chris Finch Related: Anthony Edwards Hailed As A Potential Top-100 Player Ever By Gilbert Arenas This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Spain leads New Zealand at New York Sail Grand Prix after sparing winds, rainy first day
NEW YORK — Spain leads at the halfway stage of the New York Sail Grand Prix after three wacky races in rain, strong currents and fickle light winds. While New Zealand scored the biggest bragging points of the day by lapping the fleet in the last race, Pete Burling's team would happily have traded that outrageous moment of Kiwi glory for the more consistent performance displayed by Diego Botín and the Spaniards. Your @emirates Frequent Flier on Day 1 of the #NewYorkSGP was @sailgpnzl 🇳🇿#SailGP — SailGP (@SailGP) June 7, 2025 The wind was in short supply on the Hudson River, so the race committee instructed each of the 12 teams to slash the standard crew of six to three for race one, although this would later be increased to four crew for races two and three. Fewer crew on board meant a lighter all-up weight and a better prospect of hydrofoiling for the fleet of identical F50s, but also required much higher levels of multitasking for those left manning the ship. Advertisement Nailing a fast launch out of the start was more critical than ever in the marginal foiling conditions. Botín's crew propelled the Spanish boat out of the start of the first race and into an early lead at mark one, which they would extend to the finish. Even more impressive was the Spanish team's ability to weave a path through the traffic after some lackluster starts to races two and three. Saturday scores of 1,4,3 give the Spanish a healthy five-point buffer over the best of the rest, who are more closely bunched. 'I don't know what we did so well today, to be honest,' said Botín. 'It was so hectic out there. These boats are so complicated to sail, and if you add the conditions we had today with puffiness and the waves from the strong current, it was all super tricky.' In second place are the Danish, with the French on equal points in third, a point ahead of fourth-placed New Zealand, who somehow emerged mostly unscathed from a highly inconsistent day. The Kiwis finished second from last in the middle race, only to rebound with a resounding victory in the third race of the afternoon. Burling's crew burst into an early lead and managed to keep their F50 on the foils while a good chunk of the fleet was virtually becalmed in their wake. Most of the fleet were still drifting toward the bottom of the course, unable to get flying, while Burling managed to maintain his delicate momentum on the foils to come fizzing past his hapless rivals and fully lap the whole fleet. This is the first time anyone has achieved this feat in five seasons of SailGP. After today's drizzly drift-off, all 12 teams hope that a better forecast of brighter skies and stronger breeze for Sunday will provide a faster and more predictable race track for the conclusion of competition in New York.
