Cristiano Ronaldo firmly stated that Vinícius Júnior, the forward for Real Madrid, was unjustly overlooked for this year’s men’s Ballon d’Or award. At the Globe Soccer Awards last Friday, Ronaldo insisted that Vinícius deserved the honor over Manchester City’s Rodri. Vinícius and his Madrid teammates took a stand by boycotting the Paris ceremony organized by France Football magazine. “In my opinion, Vinícius should have won the Ballon d’Or,” Ronaldo declared. “This is simply unfair. I’m saying it openly in front of everyone. Rodri is deserving as well, but the award should have gone to Vinícius because he won the Champions League and scored in the final.” Later, Vinícius was rightfully awarded FIFA’s Best Men’s Player accolade and claimed Globe Soccer’s Best Men’s prize on Friday, while Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati took home the Women’s Player of the Year award, adding to her impressive accolades. Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner himself who was not nominated this year, did not hold back in criticizing France Football magazine. “These award ceremonies always follow the same pattern,” he remarked. He then praised Globe Soccer, who recognized him as the Best Middle East Player of 2024. Since his transfer on a free deal in January 2023 from Manchester United, Ronaldo has netted 74 goals in 83 matches. Addressing his former club, Ronaldo pointed out that Manchester United continues to grapple with deeper, underlying issues. “The problems at Manchester United run deep,” he asserted. “It’s not just about the coach; it’s much more complex. If you have a sick fish and you take it out to fix it, putting it back in a contaminated tank won’t solve anything.