Cristiano Ronaldo has spoken about the Ballon d'Or and who he thinks should win it ahead of the Nations League finals against Spain. Speaking at a press conference, as reported by Ronaldo expressed that the Ballon d'Or has lost its value for not being awarded to the person who won the Champions League last year and was the favorite to win it—Vini Jr. Instead, Manchester City defensive midfielder Rodri won the award.
Speaking about who he thinks should win the Ballon d'Or this year, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner said, "For me, whoever wins the Ballon d'Or must be a player who won the Champions League. I think this award has lost its value."
This statement has been trending, with many interpreting it as a subtle dig at Lamine Yamal, who is also a Ballon d'Or favorite this year according to the bookmakers. Additionally, it's worth recalling that Ronaldo played for Real Madrid, which has a long-standing rivalry with Barcelona, the club Yamal plays for.
However, when asked about Yamal, Ronaldo—just as he had stated at the Globe Soccer Awards last year—called for Yamal to be protected as a young player. At age 17, Yamal has already played more than 100 games for club and country, with some fears that such a heavy workload at a young age could lead to injuries later in his career.
Additionally, Cristiano Ronaldo admitted that Yamal was talented. In his words, he said: "He has no shortage of talent," referring to Yamal in a quote as reported by Alfredo Martinez and also posted on Fabrizio Romano's X page.
Spain and Portugal are set to face each other in the Nations League finals, with the media already painting the match as a showdown between 40-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo and 17-year-old Lamine Yamal.
However, when asked about this, Ronaldo revealed that he did not care about the comparisons, noting that he just wanted Portugal to win.