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Cristiano Ronaldo did not think Lionel Messi was going to make the top five at the 2018 Ballon d'Or. He claimed that Mohamed Salah, Luka Modric, Antoine Griezmann, Raphael Varane and Kylian Mbappe were better than the Argentine.
The 2018 edition saw Modric take home the trophy, with Ronaldo coming in second and Griezmann third. Messi also made it to the top five.
Ronaldo had told France Football:
"The same as usual, even if I don't know if Messi will be on the podium this time. So, let's say Salah, Modric, Griezmann, Varane, Mbappe – the French in general because they are world champions."
"But I will wait and see if all these players are still at the top in 10 years, like Messi and I have done, and like we continue to do. Still there, on the podium, since more than 10 years."
Cristiano Ronaldo was looking to win his sixth Ballon d'Or that year and has been chasing the award since. He last won it in 2017.
Ballon d'Or has lost its value, claims Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo was talking to Record earlier this year when he claimed that the individual awards have lost value. He believes that he was brilliant at Al Nassr year but was ignored in the Ballon d'Or and The Best FIFA Football Awards.
He said:
"It's not to say that Messi didn't deserve it, or Haaland or even Mbappe… but the numbers are there and the numbers don't deceive. You have to consider the entire season. The numbers are facts. If you go back and see what happened at Manchester United and the national team, people actually considered me lost... But the truth is that I focused and had a great period at Al Nassr, that's why I scored 54 goals."
Cristiano Ronaldo has fallen behind Lionel Messi in the Ballon d'Or list. The Portuguese star had leveled it at 5-5 in 2017, but the Argentine now leads 8-5 after collecting his last award in 2023.
