Cristiano Ronaldo: Al-Nassr Star Speaks Out After 2025 Ballon d’Or Snub
- Cristiano Ronaldo has shared a message on his social media pages after being excluded from the 2025 Ballon d'Or nominees list
- France Football announced the list of nominees for the voting categories of this year's 2025 Ballon d'Or on Thursday, August 7
- The list does not feature Ronaldo and his archrival, Lionel Messi, both of whom are playing for clubs outside of European leagues
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Cristiano Ronaldo has reacted after being snubbed from the 2025 Ballon d'Or men's nominees list, which was released on Wednesday, August 7, 2025.
Al-Nassr star Ronaldo and long-term rival Lionel Messi, who plays for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, have been excluded for the second consecutive year. Both men have 34 nominations and 13 Ballon d'Or trophies between them.
Source: Getty Images
France Football announced the list of nominees in all categories, headlined by nine Paris Saint-Germain stars, including the favourite, Ousmane Dembélé.
Ronaldo reacts to Ballon d'Or snub
Ronaldo shared a post on his Instagram page after being omitted from the latest Ballon d'Or nominees list, which seemingly pointed to his snub.
He shared a picture of himself celebrating after scoring a hat-trick for Al-Nassr against Rio Ave, accompanied by a telling six-word caption:
"Keep pushing, there's more to do."
The 40-year-old scored 33 goals in all competitions for Al-Nassr last season and led Portugal to win the UEFA Nations League.
Despite winning the award five times, the last of which came in 2018, Ronaldo has been critical of the organisers for some of their recent decisions.
According to Metro UK, he voiced his displeasure in 2021 by endorsing a post that accused Messi of "stealing" the award from Robert Lewandowski.
More recently, in 2024, he claimed that the award had lost its credibility after Manchester City midfielder Rodri won it over popular choice and Real Madrid star Vinícius Júnior.
Source: Getty Images
Ronaldo praises Gyökeres
Ronaldo came through the ranks at Sporting Lisbon before shooting to fame at Manchester United, and he maintains a close connection with the Portuguese club.
Sporting Lisbon recently sold their star striker Viktor Gyökeres to Premier League side Arsenal for £64 million, similar to how they sold Ronaldo to Manchester United in 2003.
Ronaldo was full of praise for the Swedish striker in a recent interview during Al-Nassr's pre-season tour in his native Portugal.
The five-time UEFA Champions League winner hailed Gyökeres, who was nominated for the Ballon d'Or, as a special player and stated that Sporting would be fine after his departure.
"Gyökeres was a special player, but the team will have to adapt. I believe Suárez, who arrived from Almería, is an excellent forward,” he said.
“Harder is also a good player, young, and needs time. I saw the Super Cup; Sporting performed well against Benfica, but they didn't win because they couldn't — that's football."
Players who deserve Ballon d'Or nomination
Legit.ng analysed the players who deserve Ballon d'Or nominations after France Football announced the list of nominees in all categories on Wednesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo tops the list after a brilliant individual season with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, and leads Portugal to win their second Nations League trophy
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