News

Max Allegri pours salt in the wounds for Cristiano Ronaldo with Ballon d’Or verdict

Lionel Messi received his eighth Ballon d’Or trophy on Monday night, but his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo was not to be seen after opting out of the ceremony.

Don't Miss Any Football Moment... Join Us. Now
Join Us Now

In the Ballon d’Or voting for the calendar year, the Manchester United player came in sixth, behind Robert Lewandowski, Jorginho, Karim Benzema, and N’Golo Kante.

On Tuesday, Ronaldo sent a message from United’s training facilities to signify that he had moved on from missing out on the accolade, which he has won five times.

However, Messi’s former Juventus coach Max Allegri has added salt to the player’s wounds by saying that he was a deserving winner and that he was “the best in the world” during the awards ceremony.

In the 2018-19 season, Ronaldo and Allegri worked together at Juventus, winning the Serie A title before the coach was dismissed from his duties as the club sought to modernize their style of play.

His successor, Maurizio Sarri, won the Serie A title before being replaced by Andrea Pirlo, who only managed a top-four finish and the Coppa Italia title in his first season in charge.

Allegri returned to the post this summer, and although having previously appeared to have a cordial and even intimate connection with Ronaldo, the dynamics of that relationship appeared to have shifted.

After his return, the coach stated that the Portuguese superstar should have taken more rotation, and it’s probable that Allegri’s appointment expedited Ronaldo’s desire to leave Turin this summer.

When asked who was a deserving Ballon d’Or winner this year, the boss has dismissed his former star striker.

READ ALSO: Manchester United, Manchester City and West Ham in three-way tussle for La Liga striker

“They choose Messi, and we can affirm that technically he is the best player in the world,” Allegri said during a news conference this week, according to Football Italia.

“However, I’m not sure what they’re basing their decision on.”

Ronaldo slammed accusations that the personal award spurred him and that his desire was to win more individual awards than Messi earlier this week.

After Ferre published supposed statements attributed to Ronaldo, Ronaldo claimed, “[France Football editor-in-chief] Pascal Ferre lied, he used my name to promote himself and the publication he works for.”

“It’s inexcusable that the person in charge of awarding such a renowned medal could lie in this manner, showing complete disdain for someone who has always admired France Football and the Ballon d’Or.”

“And he lied again today, claiming that a purported quarantine was the cause for my absence from the Gala.”

Ronaldo will be hoping that his form for Manchester United can dispel the skeptics when his team hosts Arsenal in a Premier League match on Thursday before facing Crystal Palace under new manager Ralf Rangnick three days later.

For More Update, Join Us on Telegram Now
Join Us Now

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button