Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo refused to discuss the nominees for the 2025 Ballon d’Or, describing the award as “fake” and lacking credibility.
For years, Ronaldo has been attacking the Ballon d’Or, believing it is not awarded based on merit but rather on other criteria. He argues that there is no fixed standard for selecting the best, and that this is how the award is often won by those who do not deserve it.
Ronaldo, who has not been on the Ballon d’Or list since 2022, appeared after Al-Nassr’s friendly match against Rio Ave and was asked about the three Portuguese players nominated for the most prestigious award in world football (Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, and João Neves).
Ronaldo simply replied, “Don’t ask me about it, it’s fake.” He declined to elaborate further and left the press room.
Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or five times, second only to Lionel Messi, who won it eight times, most recently in 2023.
Since his move to Al-Nassr, Ronaldo has not been nominated for the Ballon d’Or. France Football officials attributed this to his lack of significant contributions to the Saudi club, despite the impressive number of goals he has scored for the Knights of Najd over the past two and a half years.
