It’s not to say that Messi didn’t deserve it – Cristiano Ronaldo says awards are losing credibility

Lionel Messi was recently awarded the Best FIFA Men’s Player for 2023 in London but Cristiano Ronaldo feels these awards are losing credibility as they are not taking into account the actual numbers and stats.

The Argentine was awarded ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, who also had an outstanding run for Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City respectively.

Earlier, Messi also won his eighth Ballon d’Or award for his consistent performances. Meanwhile, Messi scored 19 goals in 29 matches from 19 December to 20 August 2023 and also provided seven assists. Furthermore, La Pulga scored 16 goals and as many assists for PSG in the 2022-23 season for PSG in 32 matches of Ligue 1.

Haaland played an instrumental role in taking Manchester City to glory in the Premier League as the youngster scored 36 goals in 35 Premier League matches. Furthermore, the 23-year-old provided eight assists in the previous season.

The Norwegian star also scored 12 goals in 11 matches of the UEFA Champions League and played a key role in taking Sky Blues to their maiden UCL title.

On the other hand, Kylian Mbappe scored 29 goals and provided five assists in 34 Ligue 1 matches for PSG Saint-Germain and played a key role in taking the Parisians to glory.

The interviewer asked Ronaldo (via X user The CR7 Timeline):”Does it bother you that Saudi Arabia is referred to as the league with less visibility? for example, Lionel Messi recently won the Best award and played practically all year in the MLS, which also doesn’t have the visibility of European football?”

Ronaldo said, “I’m used to it and I don’t know how these organisations work. To be honest I didn’t watch the ceremony of the best awards.”

Ronaldo added, “I think that, in a way these awards are losing credibility. We have to analyse the entire season. It’s not to say that Messi didn’t deserve it, or Haaland or even Mbappe, I simple no longer believe in these awards and it’s not because I won at the globe soccer but these are facts, the numbers are there and the numbers don’t deceive. They can’t take this trophy away from me because it’s a reality, So it makes me even happier, because the numbers are facts.”