Huge Ballon d’Or Scandal on the Cards Over Shocking Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo Vote Manipulation Claim – “I Didn’t Vote”

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are among the greatest players of all time. Both have enjoyed stellar soccer careers so far and are still getting their names into the headlines.

The soccer world has never witnessed such rivalries before, as the duo shared the stage for more than a decade while playing for their respective sides. Both have been on each other’s tail since 2009 and have given quite a show for the world to enjoy.

Following years, both Messi and Ronaldo pushed each other to win accolades, respectively. There hasn’t been an award function where either of these players has been nominated for anything. It all makes sense though; after all, they were soccer’s most prominent choices.

Huge claim over Ronaldo and Messi’s Ballon d’Or vote

A shocking report came to light after a huge claim from the former captain of the Equatorial Guinea national team. Juvenal Edjogo has revealed a major scandal that took place during the 2013 FIFA Ballon d’Or.

“What little I can say about this type of award is that in 2013, I voted for my three players for the Ballon d’Or, and I sent my votes, and in the end when it was made public, the list of who voted for who, my votes were different,” Juvenal told Gol Play.

“It said I voted for Messi, Cristiano, and I don’t know who else, but I didn’t vote for any of them. That’s why I say, I don’t believe in absolutely anything about those awards.”

The former skipper had voted for Didier Drogba and Andrés Iniesta. However, when the voting was made public, both Messi and Ronaldo’s names were listed under his name. In the end, Ronaldo was voted as the best player, thus clinching his second Ballon d’Or at that time.

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Juvenal didn’t inform anyone about the mistake because he claims he didn’t care that much. “Since then, I’ve thought these awards have no value,” he added.

Is voting for awards getting biased?

Juvenal’s claims are quite strong and might be true, as several publication houses, including Mundo Deportivo and BT, also made the exact declaration. The majority of media organizations detailed how many coaches insisted that their votes were changed.

Today, apex organizations like FIFA do give access to how the voting is done. It wasn’t there back in 2010s. Nevertheless, it isn’t a surprise that this scandal happened under the eyes of FIFA, as few misconducts have taken place before.

Furthermore, now France Football magazine has become the apex body for this prestigious award. What are your views on this? Let us know in the comments.

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