Franck Ribery takes cheeky dig at Cristiano Ronaldo for Ballon d'Or comments
Franck Ribery has taken a cheeky swipe at Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese superstar stated that the Ballon d’Or should go to a Champions League winner. The Frenchman was among the favorites for the prestigious award in 2013, but ended up losing out to Ronaldo.
Ronaldo controversially won the Ballon d’Or in 2013 while at Real Madrid, despite finishing the season trophyless. Ribery, on the other hand, won a continental treble with Bayern Munich, including the UEFA Champions League. Ribery came third in the rankings despite his stellar campaign and silverware haul.
Since then, the Frenchman has expressed his disappointment in several interviews over the years, noting he felt overlooked despite winning everything possible with his team.
After Cristiano Ronaldo recently suggested that the Ballon d’Or award should go to a Champions League winner, Franck Ribery seemingly pointed out the irony in him missing out on the award despite winning the trophy in 2013. The Frenchman posted on his Instagram story:
“So you NEED to win the Champions League to win the Ballon d’Or?” followed by laughing emojis.
Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele have been touted as the top contenders in the race for the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
When Franck Ribery said Cristiano Ronaldo stole the Ballon d’Or from him
After missing out on the award in 2013, Ribery never got another opportunity to reach the Ballon d’Or podium until he retired from the sport.
Speaking to Canal Football in 2018, the former Bayern Munich man said that he felt the Ballon d’Or was stolen from him and claimed that the French wanted Ronaldo to win. He said (via GOAL):
“It was as if it was stolen from me. It’s incomprehensible. I won every trophy, I couldn’t have done more. It was an injustice. I didn’t have my country behind me. I saw it with my own eyes that the French said Cristiano should win. Did the Portuguese want it to be Ribery or Messi? Of course not.”
He added:
“In 2010, they needed someone to blame. Everyone in France believed I was the problem – even my parents. I can’t forget the actions of certain French media. It’s a scar that stays with me, it was too much.”
