Last night, France Football magazine released the official list of nominees for the 2023 Ballon d’Or. Notable names like Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, and Kylian Mbappe all secured a spot on the prestigious list. Surprisingly, Cristiano Ronaldo did not make the cut, but he managed to secure a significant West Asian award with the support of 1.5 million people.
So far, the domestic season in the Saudi league has favored the Portuguese superstar. Finally, his relentless hard work seems to have paid off as he savored his emphatic triumph.
Cristiano Ronaldo bags major West Asian award
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Recently, the Asian Football Confederation invited fans to vote for the best player in West Asia for the month of August. This voting process witnessed spirited competition and drew impressive participation, with over three million fans casting their votes. In the final tally, Ronaldo emerged as the clear winner, garnering nearly 43% of the votes.
Considering the numbers, Ronaldo was chosen as the best player of August by almost 1.5 million people. Undoubtedly, this is a significant achievement for the Al Nassr skipper. After securing his first silverware in the form of the Arab Club Championship, he quickly led Al Nassr to a resurgence in the Saudi Pro League. Certainly, his efforts were duly noted which eventually led him to clinch the major award.
🟡 صوت ملـيـون و500 الف شخص لـ الاسطورة رونالدو
• شعبية #النصر دول 💛💛🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/Bfu8bJOTKa
— بيان النصر (@ByanNassr) September 6, 2023
Moreover, he currently holds the title of the Saudi League’s leading scorer with six goals. He maintained his exceptional performance by achieving three hat-tricks against Al-Fateh and scoring two goals against Al-Shabab in the past month. Clearly, Ronaldo must be elated to have won the award with such a significant margin.
This award adds another accolade to his individual silverware cabinet. Speaking of individual trophies, while he secured West Asia’s significant award, the striker fell short of making the cut for the Ballon d’Or nominees.
No Ballon d’Or nomination for CR7!
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For the first time in Ballon d’Or history, Cristiano Ronaldo failed to secure a nomination for this year’s award. Since 2003, the former Real Madrid man had always received an invitation to attend the ceremony. In fact, for over a decade, he had dominated the award alongside his arch-rival, Lionel Messi, who is apparently on the list.
However, things won’t be the same this year. Remarkably, during his career, he had accumulated five Ballon d’Or trophies. But now it seems unlikely he will add to that number. Furthermore, he may never appear on the nominee list again, given he has left Europe and may retire from domestic soccer in a few years.
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What are your thoughts on Ronaldo’s Ballon d’Or blow? Also, let us know about his remarkable West Asian award win.