Cristiano Ronaldo and his family don't seem to want Lionel Messi to win the Ballon d'Or.
"Ronaldo's sister has defended her brother in a sympathetic response to social media posts criticizing Messi after he won the Ballon d'Or this week," the UK's Daily Mail reported on Wednesday.
French soccer magazine France Football held the 2023 Ballon d'Or award ceremony at the Chatelet Theater in Paris, France, at 4:45 a.m. on March 31. The Ballon d'Or is awarded to the player with the best performance and is considered the most prestigious award an individual player can receive.
As everyone expected, the winner was Messi. It's safe to say that the 2022-23 season is Messi's year. Messi broke through to win the last FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The team got off to a shaky start with a 1-2 loss to Saudi Arabia in the first round of the group stage, but then knocked off Poland and Mexico to reach the round of 16. They then went on to defeat powerhouses like Australia, the Netherlands, and Croatia to reach the final, where they beat defending champions France on penalties to lift the trophy for the first time in 36 years, since 1986.
Along the way, Messi's performance was staggering. With seven goals and three assists in seven games, a goal in every game of the tournament, and a Man Of The Match (MOM), Messi's staggering performance helped him win every major tournament and set the record for most offensive points in a World Cup. It was a World Cup for Messi.
After the World Cup, Messi returned to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and continued his stellar form. Although the team had a disappointing run in the UEFA Champions League (UCL), finishing in the round of 16, Messi scored 16 goals and provided 16 assists in 32 league games to become the Ligue 1 assists leader. With that, Messi left Europe to play out the final years of his career. 카지노사이트777
After a stellar 2022-23 season that included a World Cup victory, Messi was awarded the Ballon d'Or for the eighth time in his career. "This award is for my work with the Argentina national team. It's a gift to the players, the coaching staff, and the Argentine people. I'm proud that we never stopped challenging ourselves. The only thing left for me is the World Cup."
A historic eighth Ballon d'Or. Ronaldo, who once competed with Messi as a "soul rival," indirectly expressed bittersweet feelings. According to multiple outlets, Ronaldo reportedly left a smiley emoji on the social media account of a journalist who questioned Messi's Ballon d'Or win. Of course, emojis can convey a wide range of emotions, so it's impossible to know if Ronaldo was actually agreeing with the reporter, but it was a move that was criticized by many soccer fans.
Soon after, another controversy arose. This time, it was Ronaldo's sister. According to the Daily Mail, she reportedly "liked" a photo of Ronaldo posing in front of the Ballon d'Or and posted a clapping emoji as a comment on a post that read, "It's earned, not given," along with the caption.