Cristiano Ronaldo had no involvement in the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony, but Lionel Messi’s eighth win has triggered the 38-year-old, who was taunted by fans in Saudi Arabia
Cristiano Ronaldo reacted with annoyance when fans taunted him with chants of Lionel Messi’s name during a game in Saudi Arabia.
Cristiano Ronaldo was taunted by chants of “Messi!” from Al-Ettifaq fans (Image: Mohammed Saad/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or award on Monday night when he beat Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to the trophy at an awards ceremony in Paris. Ronaldo has won five Ballon d’Or awards but was not present, having not made the 30-man shortlist for the first time since 2003.
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However, the 38-year-old could not escape his long-term rival’s success, with social media alight with tributes to Messi following an historic year which saw him help Argentina win the World Cup. Ronaldo was quick to mock Messi by putting laughing emojis on an Instagram post questioning his win.
His mockery came back to bite him when he stepped onto the pitch for Al-Nassr in their match against Steven Gerrard ’s Al-Ettifaq on Wednesday. Ronaldo’s side won the King Cup of Champions fixture 1-0 thanks to Sadio Mane’s goal, but he was taunted by chants of “Messi! Messi!” from the Al-Ettifaq supporters.
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Ronaldo’s response was caught on camera. After initially grinning on the touchline while the ball was out of play for a throw-in, he motioned to the fans to be quiet, shushing them with his finger to his lips and then telling them to simmer down. The home supporters reacted with a round of applause for their star player.
Nevertheless, it is likely Ronaldo isn’t best pleased with Messi’s record-extending eighth success at the Ballon d’Or awards. The 36-year-old Argentine is now three ahead of Ronaldo, whose own career is winding down.
Speaking back in 2019, when he was playing for Juventus, Ronaldo made it clear he values the popularity contest highly. “I would love [more], and I think I deserve it,” he told Piers Morgan in an interview on ITV when asked about the Ballon d’Or. “Messi is a fantastic guy, a fantastic player. He’s in the history of football – but I think I have to have six or seven or eight to be above him.
Cristiano Ronaldo motioned for the fans to be quiet ( Image: Mohammed Saad/Anadolu via Getty Images)
He wasn’t impressed by their taunts ( Image: Mohammed Saad/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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“My relationship with him is, we are not friends, but we have shared this stage for 15 years. I have a good relationship with him and I know that he has pushed me to be a better player and I have pushed him to be a better player as well.”
Ronaldo’s last Ballon d’Or win came in 2017 when he was a Real Madrid player. Since then, Messi and his two former Real team-mates Luka Modric and Karim Benzema are the only players to have won the award. Messi was asked about the rivalry with Ronaldo on Monday.
He said: “What we have done all this time is very appreciable because as they say it is easy to reach the top but difficult to stay. We stayed at the top for 10 or 15 years, I’m not sure how many, and it was very difficult. It was very difficult to continue at this level and I think it was a great thing and a beautiful memory for everyone who enjoys football.”
