Manchester United attacker Cristiano Ronaldo received zero votes in the selection for the 2022 Ballon d’Or as the Portuguese finished in his lowest rank in 17 years.
Ronaldo finished in the 20th spot in the 2022 Ballon d’Or rankings. He slid down 14 spots compared to his standing last season when the Manchester United player finished sixth.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 24 goals and provided three assists in 38 games for United and Juventus last season. He was one of 11 players to finish without a single vote to his name.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Kane, Joshua Kimmich, Phil Foden, Darwin Nunez, Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo, Mike Maignan, Christopher Nkunku and Antonio Rudiger are the other players to finish without a single nomination.
Cristiano Ronaldo is enduring a difficult span in his career at the moment. The Portuguese walked down the tunnel before the final whistle for the Red Devils’ home clash against Tottenham on Wednesday (19 October). He was an unused substitute during the game.
He has since been omitted for Erik ten Hag’s team’s Premier League clash against Chelsea on Saturday (22 October). Ronaldo is also training with the club’s under-21s at the Carrington training ground for three days.
Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s former teammate Karim Benzema lifted the 2022 Ballon d’Or trophy
Karim Benzema has seen Cristiano Ronaldo lift the Ballon d’Or four times as his teammate at Real Madrid. However, at 37 years of age, Ronaldo is enduring a difficult time at Manchester United.
Benzema, meanwhile, has made massive improvements to his game since Ronaldo left the club in 2018. His perseverance paid its dividends as the Frenchman won the 2022 Ballon d’Or award with a massive 89 nominations out of 93.
Here’s what the Real Madrid attacker said on stage after he received the award (via The Hindu):
“Ambition really entered my head after that. Ambition means working harder and being a leader for my team, and I am lucky to play for Madrid, the best club in the world. When I was 21, or 22, I didn’t have the same ambition I have today.”
Benzema went on to add that he had to go through some difficult phases in his career:
“I have been through difficult moments, where I wasn’t playing for the national team and so was alone at Valdebebas (Real’s training ground) because everyone else was away playing for their countries. I am very happy and very proud of the work I have put in.”
