Cristiano Ronaldo: Ballon d’Or should go to Champions League winner

Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo expressed his opinion on Saturday that the prestigious Ballon D’or honor should be given to a player who has won the Champions League in the year under review.

Ahead of Sunday’s Nations League final in Munich between Portugal and Spain, the seasoned forward emphasized that “trophies” should be the key factor in determining the Ballon d’Or winner.

“In my opinion, whoever wins it should be part of a team that has secured major trophies. The Ballon d’Or winner should ideally be in a team that has triumphed in the Champions League,” the 40-year-old forward told reporters.

First presented in 1956 by French magazine France Football, the Ballon d’Or recognizes the player deemed the best over the previous season.

Paris Saint-Germain’s dominant 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League final last Saturday sparked discussions about Ousmane Dembele being a strong contender for this season’s award.

Meanwhile, Spain’s young sensation Lamine Yamal’s impressive season with the Catalan giants and his standout performance in Thursday’s 5-4 Nations League semi-final win over France where he scored a brace led some to argue that the teenager should receive the Ballon d’Or, which would make him the youngest recipient in the award’s history.

Ronaldo’s five wins are surpassed only by Argentine Lionel Messi, who has claimed the award eight times.

The duo dominated the award for a decade, from Ronaldo’s first win in 2008 to his last in 2017.