“Losing credibility,” this is what Cristiano Ronaldo had to say about individual prestigious awards like the Ballon d’Or or FIFA The Best award earlier this year. Even though it’s merely an opinion, looks like it fervently aligns with the views of Wolves midfielder Mario Lemina, who rather believes the ‘best player in the world right now is Vinicius Jr.’ despite Rodri’s win.

Just like many ardent soccer fans, Lemina was in support of the Real Madrid superstar winning the Golden Ball, more than his fellow Premier League rival who plays for Manchester City. This only forced the Gabonese star to post a story and express his discontent over the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner. On a pitch-black screen, he vocally wrote, “Rodri is the best midfielder in the world yes, but the best player in the world right now is Vinicius no doubt. ❌ Bye football.”

Just like Ronaldo, Lamina seems to be under the impression that these revered accolades, intended to recognize the individual brilliance of a player, have lost their credibility and are no less than a hoax. Although the Wolves star acknowledges that Rodri is one of the best midfielders not just in the Premier League but in the entire world, he believes there was simply no way Rodri should have lifted the award ahead of Vinicius Jr.

Notably, Ronaldo’s infamous take on such prestigious individual awards like FIFA The Best or the Ballon d’Or came last season, when he saw his arch-rival Lionel Messi lift his 8th historic award. In the eyes of the 39-year-old, it’s not that he believes the Argentinian didn’t deserve the award or that it should have gone to players like Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland. Rather, his straightforward explanation is, “I simply no longer believe in these awards.”

As a five-time Ballon d’Or winner himself, Ronaldo has surprisingly lost faith in the very accolades he once celebrated. It’s evident from his comments that the 39-year-old is not pleased with the voting process and how the results are revealed. In fact, there’s speculation that he may not have cast his vote at all!

Cristiano Ronaldo remains against the Ballon d’Or voting!

Vincent Garcia, the editor of France Football, acknowledged to the Times, as reported by Goal, that Ronaldo is no longer a supporter of the awards process. This sentiment is further highlighted by his decision to skip the voting and his lack of enthusiasm for attending the ceremony. “Winners have the right to come back to all future ceremonies but they don’t all come, some are very upset with us,” said Garcia.

“I don’t know for certain Cristiano is, I don’t talk to him directly, but I know for example that former winners vote for the Kopa Trophy—for the best young player—and Cristiano didn’t vote last year and he didn’t vote this year either,” concluded the editor, suggesting Ronaldo’s frustration is clear. However, the Al Nassr star is not alone in his sentiments, as fans also appear to be losing interest in the Ballon d’Or.

While half of the population agrees with Rodri’s triumph, the other half does not. However, this is the true nature of the Ballon d’Or, where such debates occur. Regardless, share your thoughts in the comments.