Cristiano Ronaldo has caused a stir with his reaction to long-time rival Lionel Messi being awarded his eighth Ballon d'Or earlier this week.
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The 38-year-old has received criticism online for a certain comment he made on social media on Tuesday relating to the former Barcelona's latest Ballon d'Or victory, which was confirmed in Paris on Monday night.
Messi beat the likes of Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe to the prestigious individual accolade for 2023, after helping Argentina win the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Responding to seemingly sneering remarks made by editor-in-chief of Spanish newspaper AS Tomas Roncero, Al Nassr's Ronaldo left laughing emojis in the comments section of a video in which the journalist suggested the Inter Miami superstar's triumph was not deserved.
"Hello friends, what we knew has happened, they were going to give another Ballon d'Or to Messi. He went to retire at Miami, but he was already looking like retired at PSG to prepare for the World Cup, he won the World Cup, yes, well, but with six penalties," Roncero said, according to AlbicelesteTalk.
"The World Cup was 10 months ago, we're in November. Messi has eight Ballon d'Ors, well, he should have five, he has the Ballon d'Ors of Iniesta/Xavi, Lewandowski, who won six trophies in one season, and Haaland who was the top scorer of everything."
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While it is unclear as to exactly what Ronaldo meant with his response to the post, many have interpreted the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's reaction as him agreeing with Roncero's scathing criticism.
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