“Ronaldo has learned the importance of this and Leo needs to learn” - When Roberto Carlos hit out at Messi for snubbing award night where rival won
Roberto Carlos was furious with Lionel Messi and Barcelona for skipping the Ballon d'Or gala in 2017 when Cristiano Ronaldo won. The Brazilian claimed that all top players should attend the award ceremony to recognize the winner.
Speaking to the media in 2017 at the Ballon d'Or gala, Carlos claimed that Ronaldo has understood the importance of attending the galas and it was time for Messi to do the same. He stressed that the clubs should not make their players skip the ceremonies, saying (via ESPN):
"Cristiano has learned the importance of this and I think Leo also needs to learn that he must be here. This has to change. Real Madrid also have a match this week but they are well represented in Zurich. The obligations to win for both clubs are the same."
The Brazilian added:
"I am sad and disappointed that Leo and his teammates have not come. They have many great footballers and all of us would have liked to see them attend. We all wanted to see Messi, the other big players and the coach of Barcelona here. It's a FIFA prize. FIFA is the highest authority in football. So, everyone should be here."
Barcelona opted not to send any of their players for the 2017 Ballon d'Or gala as they knew Lionel Messi was finishing second to Cristiano Ronaldo. Luis Suarez and Gerard Pique were also supposed to be in attendance as they were a part of the FIFA Team of the Year.
When Real Madrid legend hit out at Lionel Messi and Barcelona for skipping Cristiano Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or win
Michel Salgado was also at the Ballon d'Or gala in 2017 and hit out at Barcelona for skipping the event. The Real Madrid legend claimed that Lionel Messi and others should have attended the ceremony though Cristiano Ronaldo was winning it.
He said via ESPN:
"Real Madrid are currently the best team in the world so maybe this has affected the decision of the Barcelona players. Barcelona are wrong for not sending their best players. I know that the club has had issues with FIFA in the past but Barcelona needs to understand that FIFA is changing. This is not how you expect one of the world's biggest clubs to behave."
Cristiano Ronaldo finished with 946 votes in the Ballon d'Or race – almost 300 more than the Argentine, who collected 670 votes. Neymar finished third on the podium with 361 votes, while Gigi Buffon and Luka Modric finished fourth and fifth, respectively.