Former France international Franck Ribéry appeared to take a swipe at Cristiano Ronaldo over his recent comments about the Ballon d’Or, rekindling frustration over missing out on the prestigious award in 2013.
On Saturday, Ribéry took to social media to respond to Ronaldo’s view that winning the Champions League should be a key factor in Ballon d’Or voting. The Portuguese star recently said that, in his opinion, Ousmane Dembélé deserves this year’s award for his role in Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League triumph.
“The individual awards have lost some consensus; I can’t say anything about who should win. In my opinion, those who stand out and win the Champions League should win,” Ronaldo told reporters.
Ribéry’s reaction was pointed. Posting online, he wrote:
“So you NEED to win the Champions League to win the Ballon d’Or?”
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The comment seemingly references the 2013 Ballon d’Or, when Ribéry had just completed a treble-winning season with Bayern Munich—including the Champions League title—but still finished behind both Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the final voting.
Ribéry’s remark reignites a long-standing debate over the Ballon d’Or’s criteria—whether individual brilliance, team success, or a mix of both should determine the winner.
