Franck Ribery has responded to Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent comments suggesting that only players who win the UEFA Champions League deserve the Ballon d’Or. Ronaldo, who has five Ballon d’Or titles, said during a press conference on Saturday that those who win the Champions League and stand out should receive the award. However, he downplayed the importance of individual prizes.
Ribery, who placed third in the 2013 Ballon d’Or rankings behind Ronaldo and Lionel Messi despite a highly successful year with Bayern Munich, shared a sharp response via Instagram. “So you NEED to win the Champions League to win the Ballon d’Or?” he asked, referencing the season when he lifted five trophies, including the Champions League, but still lost the prestigious individual honor to Ronaldo.
That year, Ribery was crowned UEFA’s Best Player in Europe, while Ronaldo scored 66 goals in 56 matches but ended the season without a single team trophy. The contrast reignites long-standing debates around the criteria for selecting the world’s best footballer.
