Cristiano Ronaldo, one of football’s greatest stars, enjoys being part of discussions. The Portuguese player consistently responds to any issues, bringing up his five-time Ballon d’Or win whenever he deems it necessary.
Recently, Manchester City’s Norwegian goal machine, Erling Haaland, clinched the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) Player of the Year award. Haaland surpassed French striker Mbappe and World Cup-winning Argentine captain Lionel Messi for the coveted title. Surprisingly, the Portuguese superstar Ronaldo did not even make it into the top 10 of the IFFHS rankings. Portugal’s sole representative on the list is Bernardo Silva, who holds the eighth position – a fact that Ronaldo seemingly couldn’t accept.
The Portuguese media outlet ‘A BOLA’ posted a card on Instagram featuring photos of the top 9 players according to IFFHS. This post triggered a response from Ronaldo’s official account, where he reacted with a “haha” emoji. However, Ronaldo refrained from mocking Haaland, Mbappe, and Messi with the shame emoji.
This isn’t the first time Ronaldo has taken such actions to garner attention. A few days ago, he engaged in a comical act after winning Messi’s eighth Ballon d’Or. This gesture made it clear that Messi’s achievement had triggered a certain level of competition.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo secured the title of the highest scorer in 2023, netting 54 goals in 59 matches, including 10 international goals for Portugal. Notably, this year, Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, City’s Haaland, and PSG’s Kylian Mbappe reached the 50-goal mark, surpassing Ronaldo in this regard.
Haaland, who was named IFFHS’s best footballer, scored 50 goals, leaving Ronaldo outside the top 10. Perhaps Ronaldo struggled to accept this reality, especially given that he trails behind in goal tally. This could explain his reaction to the IFFHS rankings.