The latest edition of the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi rivalry has dropped in the oh-so-modern form of a social media dummy spit.
Argentina superstar Messi this week won a record-extending seventh Ballon d’Or award recognising the best male footballer on the planet.
Portugal ace Ronaldo is second on the all-time list with five, and finished sixth in this year’s voting.
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At 36 years old, the prospects of the Manchester United striker now overtaking Messi’s haul appear next to nil.
Ronaldo did not bother to attend the glitzy ceremony in Paris and it was the first time since 2010 he hasn’t finished in the top three.
And it appears the situation stings, with Ronaldo ‘liking’ and commenting on a lengthy Instagram post from an account named ‘cr7.the_legendary’ that passionately argued his awards case over Messi’s.
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The Instagram caption, written in Portuguese translates: “43 goals in the year, six goals in five games in this Champions League, all decisive and a guy who, regardless of age, continues to work miracles and is the guy who most impresses the world most often.
“They still put the guy in sixth… Do you really think that five guys did more than him in the year? Never.
“He could fight for this award calmly and the fight would be good with Lewandowski, who in individual numbers was incredible and Bayern had a better season than Juventus and has been having a calmer season than United. But at the national selection level for example, Cristiano was much better.
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“And who does the prize go to? For Messi, who only won the Copa del Rey with Barcelona, he hasn’t scored a goal against Real Madrid since when Cristiano left [in 2018], disappeared in the big games of the season.
“He won the Copa America that was supposed to be every four years and they now do practically every year. He didn’t score in the final or in the semi-final. And he’s been having a weak season with Paris Saint-Germain individually.
“For Cristiano to win this prize he has to be 300 per cent unquestionable. It’s no use scoring the most beautiful bicycle kick of the year, being champion of everything by club, top scorer of everything and scoring a hat-trick in the World Cup, they still provide a way to take his prize.
“With Messi, it’s the other way around. He can do a low-key season, way below, they’ll always find a way to favour him and give him the prize.
“Theft. Dirt. Shame. Simply regrettable.
“Who saw, saw. Anyone who is smart enough knows who the real deserving ones are.
“Receiving awards without earning it is false happiness, without pride.
“Regardless of these awards, the CR7 will always be the best in history!”
Not only did Ronaldo ‘like’ the post but he has also wrote ‘factos’, which translates as ‘facts’ as well as the thumbs up and eyes emoji.
Ronaldo also took to social media before the ceremony to slam Pascal Ferré, the editor of France Football, who organises the awards.
Ferré told the New York Times that Ronaldo was driven only by a desire to win the award more times than Messi.
“Ronaldo has only one ambition, and that is to retire with more Ballons d’Or than Messi, and I know that because he has told me,” Ferré said.
That drew an angry response from Ronaldo, in an Instagram post translated into English.
“Today’s outcome explains why Pascal Ferré’s statements last week, when he said that I confided in him that my only ambition was to finish my career with more Golden Balls than Lionel Messi,” Ronaldo wrote.
“Pascal Ferré lied, he used my name to promote himself and to promote the publication he works for. It is unacceptable that the person responsible for awarding such a prestigious prize could lie in this way, in absolute disrespect for someone who has always respected France Football and the Ballon d’Or. And he lied again today, justifying my absence from the Gala with an alleged quarantine that has no reason to exist.
“I always want to congratulate those who win, within the sportsmanship and fair-play that have guided my career since the beginning, and I do it because I’m never against anyone. I always win for myself and for the clubs I represent, I win for myself and for those who love me. I don’t win against anyone.
“The biggest ambition of my career is to win national and international titles for the clubs I represent and for the national team in my country. The biggest ambition of my career is to be a good example for all those who are or want to be professional footballers. The biggest ambition of my career is to leave my name written in golden letters in the history of world football.
“I will end by saying that my focus is already on Manchester United’s next game and on everything that, together with my teammates and our fans, we can still achieve this season.”