Five -time balloon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo said on Saturday that the individual honor should be awarded to a player who won the Champions League.
Speaking for the Nations League final on Sunday in Munich between Portugal and Spain, the veteran said that “trophies” should determine who wins the balloon d'Or.
“In my opinion, who has won it in a team that has won trophies. The Ballon d'Or winner should be in a team that the Champions League has won,” said the 40-year-old attacker reporters.
For the first time granted in 1956 by the French magazine France Football, the Ballon d'Or is awarded to the player who is considered best in the previous season.
The 5-0 banging of Paris Saint-Germain of Inter Milan in the Champions League final last Saturday led to growing calls for Ousmane Dembele to win the gong of this season.
The excellent display of Spain Starlet Lamine Yamal in the 5-4 Nations League Semi-Final victory in France, however, some had claimed that the teenager should get the balloon d'Or, making the 17-year-old the youngest winner in his history.
Spain's Lamine Yamal has been in great Vormreuters / Anneegret Hilse
France coach Didier Deschamps supported Dembele for the prize and said: “Given the season that Ousmane has, he deserves it and that is all I wish for him.”
During a press conference in Stuttgart on Saturday, French captain Kylian told Mbappe reporters that he supported Dembele.
“Does anyone really need me to explain it? At the moment we are talking about Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele, but I vote for Dembele.”
France in Ousmane Dembele is one of the favorites for the Ballon d'Orreuters / Anneegret Hilse
Ronaldo said that this season he “can't tell who deserves”.
The five victories of Ronaldo are only improved by the Argentinian Lionel Messi, who has won the prize eight times.
The duo had a monopoly at the prize for a decade of Ronaldo's first victory in 2008 until his last in 2017.
The current holder is Spain and the Midfielder of Manchester City Rodri.