"Never compare", "Ronaldo fans are celebrating" - Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi fans troll each other after Ballon d'Or nominee list
France Football has released a list of 30 nominees for the 2022 Ballon d'Or award. It includes Cristiano Ronaldo but not Lionel Messi. Following the announcement, fans of both players took jabs at each other.
The Argentine has failed to make it to the 30-men shortlist for the coveted prize for the first time since 2005. However, he has won the Ballon d'Or a record seven times, most recently last year.
France Football have announced the 10-man shortlist for the 2022 Ballon d'Or with current holder Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi having not made the list. dlvr.it/SWXK6j
Messi scored 11 goals and provided 15 assists across competitions for Paris Saint-Germain last season (PSG), after ending a 17-season stint at Barcelona. He won Ligue 1 with the Parisians but failed to help them get past the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League. The Argentine missed a penalty in the first leg of their 3-2 defeat against eventual winners Real Madrid.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, has won the Ballon d'Or five times, second only to his great rival, last winning the award in 2018. He returned to Manchester United last summer and was their top goalscorer with 24 goals in 38 games across competitions.
The Portuguese too failed to help his team get past the Champions League Round of 16, losing 2-1 on aggregate to Atletico Madrid. The Red Devils ended their campaign trophyless, accumulating their worst points tally (58) in the Premier League era.
Here's the reaction of Messi and Ronaldo fans on Twitter after the Ballon d'Or shortlist was announced:
Cristiano Ronaldo making the Ballon d'Or shortlist at 37 while Messi at 34 isn't in the top 30 players in the world.
Never compare their longevity again
@YjReviews Ronaldo fans are celebrating the fact that Messi didn’t get nominated this year. While Messi fans celebrated Messi winning the actual ballon D’or last year
Levels🐐
@kola3030hamza @Adermss @BashirAhmaad Messi got that more than all of them combine
LEVELS
Fact: Messi's Sons has touched more ballon d'or than Ronaldo himself
We aren't celebrating Ronaldo's nomination but laughing at Messi for not being among top 30 inspite of playing in UBER EATS. Biased Ballon d'Ors won't make GOAT footballer twitter.com/stavfps/status…
Messi wasn’t nominated for the 22/23 ballon d’or…..and it shows how he didn’t deserve the last one
Ronaldo never won a ballon d’or since 2018 and he was still nominated. I know my GOAT 🐐 🇵🇹 https://t.co/ToxACBo8v4
Ronaldo fans are celebrating nomination now when Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d'or 7 times already. Very funny😂
@gyaigyimii If Messi doesn’t get Ballon nominations for the next two years, he will still have more than Ronaldo 😂
@gyaigyimii
The bottom line is Messi will finish his career with 7 Ballon d'Ors or more while Ronaldo will only finish with 5. twitter.com/TrollFootball/…
@SaraFCBi When Messi wins the Ballon D'or -It's rigged, France Football Fixed it, It's Messi Pr, Shittiest individual award there's no importance of that now
When Messi doesn't get nominated -Ballon D'or the best individual
award,Ronaldo has most
nominations,most Ballon D'or points my Goat
Ronaldo at age 37 playing for this worst Manchester United team got Ballon D’or nomination but Messi at 35 is struggling in the farmers league. The Goat debate is over now!
@RonaldoW7_ When ronaldo was 34 how many ballon dior was he having meanwhile messi already finished football. https://t.co/h4Z2gQcIao
Why are Ronaldo fans celebrating Ballon d'Or nomination... ???
The fact that Messi is not in it!? 😂
Ballon d’Or rankings:
Cristiano Ronaldo in his first year at Juventus: 3rd Place.
Lionel Messi in his first year at PSG super team: Not even top 30 https://t.co/aelIwAi7hl
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's Ballon d'Or dominance
The debate for the Greatest Player of all time (GOAT) is never-ending. However, there's no arguing that the legendary duo have dominated the game for more than a decade.
Ronaldo has made his way to the Ballon d'Or 30-man shortlist every year since 2004, while Messi has done so from 2005 to 2021. The duo have won the award every year since 2009, barring 2018, when Luka Modric punctuated their duopoly.
Except Messi and Ronaldo, Johan Cryuff, Marco van Basten and Michel Platini - with three wins apiece - are the only players to win at least three Ballon d'Or awards.
It seems unlikely the legendary duo will now win another Ballon d'Or, as they are in the twilight of their career as the end of an era approaches.