Legendary French winger, Franck Ribery, has issued a pointed response to Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent assertion that only players who win the Champions League deserve to be considered for the Ballon d’Or.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or recipient, remarked, “In my opinion, those who stand out and win the Champions League should win… but individual awards are irrelevant.”
Ribery, who was controversially overlooked for the award in 2013 despite clinching five major trophies with Bayern Munich, including the Champions League, took to Instagram with a sharp retort ,“So you NEED to win the Champions League to win the Ballon d’Or?”
That year, Ribery was crowned UEFA’s Best Player in Europe, yet the Ballon d’Or was awarded to Ronaldo, who netted an astonishing 66 goals in 56 appearances but failed to secure any silverware with Real Madrid.
Their latest comments have reignited the long-standing debate over what criteria should define the world’s top footballer.
