After 20 years, Cristiano Ronaldo is not among the finalists for the Ballon d’Or

For the first time since 2003, Cristiano Ronaldo not among the top 30 award finalists Gold balldelivered by the magazine ‘France Football‘. In the last twenty years, the Portuguese was on the list of nominees until 2022, with five achievements, one at Manchester United and the others by Real Madrid.

With his five trophies, Cristiano Ronaldo has written his name in history as the second biggest winner of the award, just behind his great competitor in the last decade, Lionel Messi. Out of the spotlight of European football, the duo that enchanted the world is approaching the end of their careers in different continents, one in America and the other in Asia.

In addition to never having been left out of the 30 finalists, since 2003, Cristiano Ronaldo has only been out of the top-10 three times. 2005 and 2006 were years that can be considered below, with the 20th and 14th place, respectively. However, in the following 14 editions, the worst position that the Portuguese player was in was 6th, until he returned as 20th in 2022.

The absence of Cristiano Ronaldo in the final list is due to the overshadowed start to the season at Manchester United. Amid confusion and disagreements with the coach, the striker had his contract terminated even before the world Cup. Then, after more than a month without a club, the star was announced as a reinforcement of the Al Nassrfrom Saudi Arabia.

Despite good performances in Arab football, time out of the spotlight and not being present in the most decisive matches of the season reduced the chances of the Portuguese player. At the end of the season, Cristiano Ronaldo scored 25 goals in 49 games for club and national team.