Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo stated on Saturday that the prestigious individual award should be given to a player whose team has won the Champions League.
Speaking before Sunday’s Nations League final between Portugal and Spain in Munich, the veteran forward, 40, emphasized that “trophies” should be the determining factor for the Ballon d’Or.
“In my opinion, whoever wins it should be on a team that has won trophies. The Ballon d’Or winner should be in a team that has won the Champions League,” Ronaldo told reporters.
The Ballon d’Or, first awarded in 1956 by French magazine France Football, recognizes the best player of the previous season.
Paris Saint-Germain’s dominant 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League final last Saturday has led to increasing calls for Ousmane Dembele to win this season’s award.
However, Spain starlet Lamine Yamal’s superb performance in Thursday’s 5-4 Nations League semi-final win over France has prompted some to argue the 17-year-old should receive the Ballon d’Or, which would make him the youngest winner in its history.
France coach Didier Deschamps backed Dembele for the award, saying, “considering the season Ousmane is having, he deserves it and that’s all I wish for him.”
France captain Kylian Mbappe also publicly supported Dembele at a press conference in Stuttgart on Saturday, stating, “Does anyone really need me to explain? Right now, we’re talking about Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele, but I’m voting for Dembele.”
Ronaldo himself declined to name a deserving winner this season, stating, “I cannot tell you who deserves it.” His five Ballon d’Or wins are second only to Lionel Messi, who has won the award eight times.
The two superstars dominated the award for a decade, from Ronaldo’s first win in 2008 to his last in 2017. The current holder is Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri.
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