Cristiano Ronaldo makes Ballon D’or ceremony decision as former teammate Benzema emerges as the winner.
According to reports, Cristiano Ronaldo plans to attend Monday’s Ballon d’Or presentation to show his support for Karim Benzema.
Since he last received the honor in 2017, the 37-year-old hasn’t gone to the yearly banquet in Paris. After scoring 24 goals for Manchester United in the previous season, Ronaldo has been nominated for the award.
Le Parisien claims that even if he has little chance of winning, he won’t attend the ceremony for himself.
After leading Real Madrid to La Liga and Champions League victories last season and scoring 44 goals in 46 games as a result, Benzema is the favorite to win the Ballon d’Or in 2022.
Ronaldo played with Benzema at the Santiago Bernabeu for nine years, with the duo becoming close friends during that period.
It’s believed he wants to see his former teammate lift the ultimate individual prize in football in person.
The Portugal international snubbed the 2018, 2019 and 2021 ceremonies once it became clear he wouldn’t be receiving the gong.
Lionel Messi is the current holder, but he hasn’t been nominated after an underwhelming debut campaign with Paris Saint-Germain.
Check out the full list of nominees below:
Men’s Ballon d’Or award nominees: Thibaut Courtois, Rafael Leao, Christopher Nkunku, Mohamed Salah, Joshua Kimmich, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Vinicius Junior, Bernardo Silva, Luis Diaz, Robert Lewandowski, Riyad Mahrez, Casemiro, Son Heung-min, Fabinho, Karim Benzema, Mike Maignan, Harry Kane, Darwin Nunez, Phil Foden, Sadio Mane, Sébastien Haller, Luka Modric, Antonio Rudiger, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kevin De Bruyne, Dusan Vlahovic, Virgil van Dijk, João Cancelo, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland.
Benzema praised Ronaldo back in June, claiming he’s helped him prolong his career.
He told Onze Mondial, “When I watched him, I tried to understand everything he did: the goals, the shots, the passes, the ball controI.
“I dissected everything about Ronaldo. That’s why I can say: it’s impossible to achieve the same.”
When asked if why he believes he deserves to win the Ballon d’Or, Benzema replied: “Because I’m having a great season, I think. I was present during many important matches, I managed differences.
“All this makes people recognise my performance. And then, I was consistent throughout the season.”
The former Lyon man even declared that he would cast his vote for himself. Yes, of course, he responded, “because I love my game and what I do on the field.” “I currently play the kind of football I’ve always wanted to play.
“My style of play on the field reflects how I see the game.
“I would vote for another player, for instance, if I observed them performing the same action on the field as I do.”
