Mith Panchal
In an recent interview, 5-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo said that he thinks the most prestigious individual award the Ballon d’Or and FIFA’s best is losing its credibility.
This statement comes after Lionel Messi won his 8th FIFA best men’s player of 2023, which was heavily criticized by many. Keep reading as we look into what Cristiano had to say about the individual awards.
Cristiano Says the Ballon d’Or and FIFA the Best are losing credibility.
Recently Cristiano Ronaldo won the Fan’s Player of the Year, Diego Maradona Top Scorer of the Year, and the Best Middle East Player of the Year 2023 award at the Dubai International Sports Conference.
After a turbulent 2022, Cristiano returned to his best form in 2023 outscoring everyone with 54 goals across all competitions.
When asked about his recent performances, Cristiano Ronaldo said,
“I’m not surprised of my level as I know that I still have a lot of possibilities to offer”.
“I know that I can provide a lot of goals for Al Nassr and the national team, so it was incredible on a personal level to score 54 goals”
Cristiano also had a say on the most prestigious individual awards the Ballon d’Or and the Fifa Best.
Ballon d’Or and The Best are losing credibility”.
“It’s not to say that Messi didn’t deserve it, or Haaland or even Mbappé… but the numbers are there and the numbers don’t deceive. You’ve to consider the entire season”.
“The numbers are facts”
This statement came after Leo Messi won the FIFA best player of the year 2023.
Messi win’s the FIFA Best 2023 in a controversial fashion
The FIFA Best Awards were held last week where everyone was expecting Erling Haaland to win the men’s Player of the Year award for winning the treble with Man City and for his record-breaking debut season in the premier league.
But to everyone’s surprise, Lionel Messi won the award for the record 8th time in his career.
FIFA clarified that both Messi and Haaland and Messi were tied on votes but Messi won the award because more national team captains voted for Messi.
Messi did have a Dream World Cup campaign with Argentina but FIFA best did not take the period in which Messi won the World Cup into consideration.
Apart from the World Cup Messi had 21 goals and 20 assists for PSG and 11 goals and 14 games for Inter Miami helping Inter Miami win the Leagues Cup this summer.
Thus this win sparked debate over the internet about the credibility of the award between fans and pundits alike.
Speaking on Sky Deutschland, Former Ballon d’Or winner Lothar Matthaus insisted that Messi did not deserve the FIFA award.
Former Ballon d’Or winner Lothar Matthäus has hit out at Lionel Messi, claiming that the Argentina captain did not deserve the Best FIFA Award for 2023.
Speaking on Sky Deutschland, Matthaus insisted that Messi did not deserve the FIFA award, adding that Manchester City’s Erling Haaland should have won the prize.
Messi recently won the FIFA Best Award ahead of Haaland.
“He can’t be the winner this time. I think he was the best footballer of the last 20 years, but he has been in Paris and Miami, where he is now creating hype, and not won any major titles,” Matthaus said.
“If you look at the great successes, there is no way past Manchester City and – when choosing the best player – Erling Haaland. He won the most important titles with Man City. His strike rate was impressive.
“That should be decisive when you choose the best and most important player – and that was Haaland.”
Not just the Best Awards but Rodri’s exclusion from the FIFA Team of the Year also came as a surprise and instantly became meme material.
Conclusion
In the wake of Lionel Messi’s controversial eighth FIFA Best Men’s Player of the Year win, Cristiano Ronaldo expressed concern over the diminishing credibility of prestigious individual awards like the Ballon d’Or and FIFA Best.
Despite Erling Haaland’s stellar 2023 performance and multiple accolades, the focus remained on Messi’s unexpected victory, sparking widespread debate among fans and experts.
The contentious awards and surprising exclusions, like Rodri from the FIFA Team of the Year, have heightened skepticism about their legitimacy.
