Ballon d’Or head Vincent Garcia has disclosed that Cristiano Ronaldo has chosen not to participate in the voting for the prestigious Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best young player, in recent years.
Garcia hinted that Ronaldo might be among those who are “very upset” with some of the award’s decisions.
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While Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, previously stood among the most celebrated athletes in the award’s history, he has not secured the title of world’s best footballer since 2017. Only Lionel Messi, who has won the Ballon d’Or eight times, surpasses his record.
After Messi’s most recent win in 2023, Ronaldo appeared to express discontent by liking an Instagram post suggesting that Messi had won “three Ballons d’Or too many.”
This year marks a significant shift, as neither Messi nor Ronaldo made the Ballon d’Or’s 30-man shortlist – a first in 21 years. Garcia remarked, “Winners have the right to come back to all future ceremonies, but they don’t all come; some are very upset with us.”
Though Garcia clarified that he does not communicate directly with Ronaldo, he noted that “former winners vote for the Kopa Trophy…Cristiano didn’t vote last year and he didn’t vote this year either.”
