Cristiano Ronaldo has fired a shot at the Ballon d'Or by criticizing the credibility of the historic awards ceremony.
Ronaldo mentioned Vinicius Jr. the best player in the world and praised the credibility of the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards on Friday.
Vinicius Jr. was named best men's footballer of the year at the Atlantis in Dubai, while Manchester City's Rodri controversially won the equivalent award at the Ballon d'Or earlier this year.
Ronaldo said: 'Vinicius Jr. should have won the Ballon d'Or, that was clear in my opinion.
'It was unfair. That's why I love the Globe Soccer Awards, they're fair.”
In the run-up to the much-hyped event, the Brazilian forward had become the bookmakers' favorite after winning both La Liga and the Champions League with Los Blancos.
However, just hours before the ceremony was due to start, Real withdrew their 50-man contingent, with the Brazilian reportedly tipping off that he had not won.
Instead, Rodri claimed the top prize after helping City become the first team ever to win four consecutive top-flight titles in England and was an integral part of Luis de la Fuente's Euro 2024-winning Spain squad.
By being named winner of the 2024 Men's Ballon d'Or, Rodri became the first Premier League player to achieve the feat since Ronaldo himself at Manchester United in 2008.
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