The 30 nominations for the 2023 Ballon d’Or were announced on September 6. While Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé made the final shortlist, Cristiano Ronaldo was absent for the first time since 2004.
Ronaldo experienced a forgettable World Cup in his career.
Explaining Ronaldo’s absence from this year’s Ballon d’Or nomination list, Vincent Garcia, editor-in-chief of France Football, said on Sports Brief:
“Ronaldo’s absence was not a topic of discussion in the organizing committee. He faded at the World Cup and played in a lesser known tournamentbut still an excellent player.”
Ronaldo had an extremely disappointing season at club and national team level last year. In Qatar, CR7 only scored one goal, lost his starting position since the knock-out round and stopped in the quarterfinals at the hands of Morocco.
At the club level, Ronaldo had a disagreement with coach Erik ten Hag and his contract was terminated in November 2022, with a record of 3 goals in 16 appearances.
Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in the second half of the season, scoring 14 goals in 19 appearances. Despite CR7’s achievements, France Football does not seem to appreciate the Portuguese superstar’s efforts in a tournament with ‘low’ visibility.
Bao Bao | 19:01 October 30, 2023
