Ronaldo would've won Ballon d'Or if he played for Real Madrid – Mendes

Cristiano Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes has described the Juventus star not winning the Ballon d'Or as "an injustice", with Lionel Messi beating him to a sixth trophy.

Published : Dec 17, 2019 09:05 IST

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo hasn't won the Ballon d'Or since leaving Real Madrid in 2018.
Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo hasn't won the Ballon d'Or since leaving Real Madrid in 2018.
lightbox-info

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo hasn't won the Ballon d'Or since leaving Real Madrid in 2018.

Cristiano Ronaldo would have won the Ballon d'Or if he played for Real Madrid, according to the Juventus superstar's agent Jorge Mendes.

Ronaldo – a five-time Ballon d'Or winner – has not claimed the individual award since leaving Madrid for Juve in 2018, with Luka Modric and Lionel Messi honoured in back-to-back seasons.

Messi received a record sixth Ballon d'Or this month as Portugal international Ronaldo finished third behind the Barcelona captain and Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk.

"Cristiano deserved to win the Ballon d'Or at least once in the last two years," Mendes said. "If he had played at Real Madrid, he would have won it, but next year I think he can win it again.

Read: FIFA suing Blatter, Platini to recoup 'undue payment'

"For me it is an injustice [that Cristiano hasn't won the Ballon d'Or]. He won the Nations League and he is a champion.

"But he knows what he should do and then we will see what happens in 2020."

Ronaldo has enjoyed an illustrious career, winning five Champions League trophies, Euro 2016, the Premier League, Serie A, LaLiga and the Nations League among others.

On the 34-year-old forward, Mendes added: "Cristiano for me is the best player in the history of world football.

"Portugal before Cristiano had won nothing. With Cristiano they have won the European Championship and Nations League, [while] in 2004 they were a finalist in the European Championship too.

"He transformed world football. We are talking about Portugal, a small country that has changed a lot thanks to Cristiano."

Ronaldo has scored 11 goals across all competitions for Italian champion Juventus this season, nine of those coming in Serie A.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment