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Al Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo recently commented on his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or or The Best FIFA awards again. He has so far won the former prestigious individual award five times and the latter on three occasions.
Having left European football in December 2022 after falling out at Manchester United, Ronaldo's chances of winning the two aforementioned awards have diminished.
However, his arch-rival Lionel Messi recently won The Best FIFA Men's Player Award 2023 despite playing half of the year in the Major League Soccer (MLS) with Inter Miami. He also won his eighth Ballon d'Or last year for leading Argentina to the 2022 World Cup.
Ronaldo was thus questioned about his chances of winning the individual accolades or making the top three again during his recent interview with Record. He replied by questioning the credibility of the awards and claimed he didn't think about them.
"We know how other organizations work. Obviously, I always think about my club and the national team first. The awards come after a good season for the club and the national team. I don't think about it much, honestly," he said.
He also seemingly compared the Saudi Pro League to Serie A, La Liga and Liga Portugal, adding:
"As you said, well, the 54 goals I scored, there may be those who say it's easier because I'm in Saudi Arabia. But football professionals know that it is difficult to score goals, whether in Saudi Arabia or in Italy, Spain or Portugal. A goal is a goal. In a way, I feel even more proud to have beaten Haaland, Mbappé and Kane."
Notably, Ronaldo scored 54 goals across competitions for Al Nassr and the Portugal national team in 2023, the most by any player in the calendar year.
Cristiano Ronaldo on Lionel Messi winning The Best FIFA Men's Player 2023 award
Cristiano Ronaldo also commented on Lionel Messi being named The Best FIFA Men's Player 2023, claiming he doesn't believe in such awards anymore.
He said in the aforementioned interview:
"I think that, in a way, these awards are losing credibility. We have to analyze the entire season. It's not to say that Messi didn't deserve it, or Haaland or even Mbappé. I simply no longer believe in these awards. And it's not because he won at Globe Soccer. But they are facts, they are numbers.
"And the numbers don't deceive. They can't take this trophy away from me because it's a reality. So it makes me even happier, because the numbers are facts."
Messi finished first in The Best FIFA Men's Player 2023 voting, followed by Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe.
