Rio Ferdinand believes Cristiano Ronaldo was 'robbed' of the Ballon d'Or in 2018

Rio Ferdinand reckons his former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo was robbed of the Ballon d'Or award in 2018.

The Englishman was hosting a session on Vibe with Five with popular internet personality IShowSpeed, who's a diehard Ronaldo fan. Ferdinand was asked who has more Ballon d'Or awards, to which he replied:

"Messi. Seven against five. Cristiano Ronaldo was robbed of the Ballon d'or. Modric's year."

Luka Modric won the Ballon d'Or in 2018 after helping Real Madrid win the UEFA Champions League in the 2017-18 season. He was also a key part of the Croatian national team that finished runner-up to France at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Ronaldo, who was Modric's teammate that season, had a strong case to win his third consecutive and sixth Ballon d'Or award that year. He recorded 44 goals and eight assists in 44 club games across competitions that season.

But Modric won the award with 753 points while 'CR7' finished second with 478 points. The Al-Nassr forward hasn't won the award since then, while Messi has won it twice.

The Argentine superstar is also one of the favorites to win the award this year. He led La Albiceleste to the 2022 FIFA World Cup glory in December and won the Golden Ball for his displays in Qatar.

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Cristiano Ronaldo missed Portugal's 9-0 win against Luxembourg due to suspension

Cristiano Ronaldo was suspended for Portugal's 9-0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying win against Luxembourg on Monday (September 11).

The Portuguese superstar picked up a yellow card in his team's 1-0 win against Slovakia last week after catching Martin Dubravka in the face with a rash challenge.

Ronaldo's mother, though, was in attendance to watch Portugal record their biggest-ever win. Her son had a less-than-impressive international break, considering he also failed to make a tangible contribution in the 1-0 win against Slovakia.

The 201-cap international returned to Al-Nassr a couple of days ahead of schedule to prepare for the league game against Al-Raed on September 16. The 38-year-old forward has enjoyed a sensational start to the season, recording six goals and five assists in five games across competitions.