Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister expressed strong displeasure after Lionel Messi secured his record eighth Ballon d’Or award, seemingly settling the ‘Greatest of All Time’ debate. Messi was crowned the world’s best footballer for the eighth time, marking a remarkable year in his career, especially after winning the World Cup in Qatar. This achievement put him two Ballon d’Or trophies ahead of his long-time rival, Ronaldo, with whom he’s been intertwined in a career rivalry for over a decade. For years, fans have debated who is the greatest player of their generation, if not in the history of the sport, often citing the Ballon d’Or count as evidence to conclude the debate.
Ronaldo’s sister, Katia Aveiro, disputes Messi’s deservedness of the Ballon d’Or awards, claiming they were ‘given’ to him. Following the ceremony, a Ronaldo fan page on Instagram posted an image of the forward, who now plays for Al-Nassr, with his five golden ball trophies, accompanied by the caption ‘Deserved, not given’ as a clear dig at Messi. Aveiro liked the post and responded with clapping emojis, indicating her agreement with the sentiment.
Notably, Ronaldo himself also expressed his apparent disapproval of Messi’s latest achievement on Instagram. He reacted to a post by Spanish newspaper AS in which a pundit argued that Messi should only have five Ballon d’Ors and that the other three should have gone to different players. Ronaldo gave the post a like and responded with a series of laughing emojis from his verified account.