Ribéry Reacts to Ronaldo’s Ballon d'Or Comments with Sarcastic Jab

French football icon Franck Ribery's taken subtle dig at Cristiano Ronaldo following the Portuguese star’s latest remarks on the Ballon d'Or.

Ronaldo 5 time winner of the prestigious award recently stated that winning the Champions league's key requirement for lifting the Ballon d'or.

However he also downplayed the value of individual accolades hinting at inside politics behind the scenes.

2013 Frustration Resurfaces

Ribery who has openly expressed feeling robbed of the 2013 Ballon d'or, couldn’t help but respond. Taking to Instagram, the Bayern Munich legend posted:

"Now you need to win the Champions league to get the Ballon d'or?" He accompanied the caption with sarcastic emoji clearly pointing at the irony.

In 2013 Ribery led Bayern Munich to astonishing 5 title haul including the Champions league, Bundesliga and German cup. Despite his success, the Ballon d'Or went to Ronaldo, who'd exited the Champions league in the semi finals with Real Madrid. Lionel Messi finished second leaving Ribery 3rd.

History & Irony

Ribery’s post reflects lingering frustration especially as Ronaldo now highlights Champions league glory as prerequisite , something Ribery had in 2013, yet still missed out on the award.

This latest exchange reignites the long running debate over fairness and transparency in Ballon d'or selections.

Khaled Hegazy |

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Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.