“This is bulls*it and lies” - When 3 international managers claimed result did not match their votes after Cristiano Ronaldo won Ballon d’Or in 2013

The Ballon d’Or is football's most prestigious individual award, but it has had its fair share of criticism and controversies over the years. Like in 2013, when Cristiano Ronaldo clinched the accolade, but three national team managers claimed the official result did not tally with their submitted votes.

The 2013 Ballon d’Or saw Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Franck Ribery battle for the award with a podium finish. The Portuguese legend won the coveted Golden Ball for the second time, beating arch-rival Messi to the award, while Ribery placed third

However, Ronaldo's win sparked controversy as many had tipped Ribery to win the award after a robust season with Bayern Munich. The Frenchman won a continental title with the Bavarian, playing an integral role in their success with 11 goals and 23 assists in 43 games across competitions.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, had a trophyless campaign with Real Madrid. But the Al-Nassr star recorded an impressive 55 goals and 13 assists in 55 games that season.

The 2013 Ballon d’Or result became more contentious after Catalan media outlet La Xarxa reported (via BT.dk) that three national team coaches claimed there were discrepancies in their votes and the official result.

Jorvan Vieira, then manager of Kuwait, claimed he voted for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but his vote was registered instead for Messi, Neymar, and Ronaldo. Viera questioned the official results, saying:

"I think there has been some fraud here, because I also voted for [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic."

Fiji's head coach at the time, Juan Carlos Buzzetti, also pointed out the disparity in his picks. He said:

"I voted for Cristiano, Messi and Ribery. I have not voted for [Robert] Lewandowski in any way, he is not on the same level as the other three. Could it be my captain who voted like that?"

Albania's manager, Gianni De Biasi, also disagreed with the official Ballon d’Or votes, saying:

"I gave five points to Ronaldo, three to Messi and one to Ibrahimovic. I did not give five to Ibrahimovic. This is bulls**t and lies."

Cristiano Ronaldo went on to win the award the following year and has since added two more wins, totalling five Ballon d’Ors. He is only bested by Messi, who has eight wins to his name.

What did Franck Ribery say about Cristiano Ronaldo's controversial 2013 Ballon d’Or win?

In 2014, former Bayern Munich and France star Franck Ribery spoke openly about losing the 2013 Ballon d’Or to Cristiano Ronaldo. He insisted that he should have won the award over the Portuguese superstar, who won nothing during the year under review.

In an interview with German newspaper AZ Munchen (via Mirror), Ribery said:

"I have won everything with the team and individually. Ronaldo won nothing (in 2013). I'm not sad, but it hurts the heart. Do not get me wrong, I am proud to have been there. I feel I deserved this title. There are so many politics."

He continued:

"When I see the top eleven that was chosen - there are only 3 Bayern players there. This is madness! Muller must be there, Alaba, Schweinsteiger, Robben. We won five titles, made history. Who has done that before?"

"I'm sure, if Barcelona and Madrid stood in the Champions League final, the team would consist only of players of Real and Barca," Ribery concluded.

Nevertheless, Ribery was recognized by UEFA for his 2013 heroics with Bayern Munich, as he pipped Lionel Messi and Ronaldo to the UEFA Men's Player of the Year.