Cristiano Ronaldo is all set to grace the red carpet of the Ballon d’Or ceremony for the first time since 2017. The Manchester United forward was in attendance back in 2017 as he lifted the prestigious award for the fifth time. The ceremony, which will be held in France on October 18 had published the 30-man shortlist in August which bore the name of the five-time winner after he scored 24 goals in 39 games in all competitions for the Red Devils last season.
However, Ronaldo attending the ceremony this year despite not starting as the favourite has raised the eyebrows of many. The Portuguese had a pubic spat with the award’s organizers last year which further pushed the 37-year-old to give this year’s ceremony a skip. But he is a confirmed attendee on October 18, as Le Parisien have revealed the reason behind the same.
Cristiano Ronaldo set to attend the Ballon d’Or ceremony to cheer his mate Karim Benzema
While Cristiano Ronaldo may not be a favourite this year to make the podium, his former teammate and close friend Karim Benzema is the hot favourite to lift the golden ball for the first time. The Real Madrid striker had a season to remember last campaign, leading his side all the way to their record 14th Champions League title alongside the La Liga and Spanish Super Cup.
The 34-year-old in the process smashed in a mindboggling 44 goals and provided 15 assists in 46 games, which included Champions League hat-tricks against PSG and Chelsea in knockouts. Benzema is all set to reap the rewards of his blistering displays and swoop in the Ballon d’Or in Paris. And Le Parisien claim that Cristiano Ronaldo is traveling all the way from Manchester To Paris just to cheer his friend and former teammate, who could become just the second player after Luka Modric to win the award apart from the Portuguese and record winner Lionel Messi.
Moreover, the Argentine has not even been included in the 30-man shortlist which means Ronaldo will not have to watch his nemesis show-off his eighth Ballon d’Or on the night. Ronaldo and Benzema share a close bond from their Real Madrid days as both were assassins in whites for the Los Blancos. They both were signed in the same transfer window and played alongside each other for 9 years, guiding the Spanish side to a massive 18 trophies including five Champions League titles.
Ronaldo however had abandoned the Ballon d’Or ceremony since his last triumph in 2017, after falling out with France Football, the award organizers’ editor Pascal Ferre. The Portugal captain’s fierce rival Leo Messi lifted his record extending seventh Ballon d’Or in 2021, after which Ferre had levelled up some serious accusations on Ronaldo for giving a miss to the ceremony. The editor had claimed:
“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.”
However, Ronaldo too hit back at Ferre for making up false stories and using his name to “promote himself”. The United player wrote a statement on Instagram which read:
“Pascal Ferre 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.”
But Ronaldo is going to keep aside his fractured relationship with Ballon d’Or just to attend the ceremony to watch his mate win the trophy. Meanwhile, Messi is going to be an absentee this year as he was snubbed from the final shortlist for the first time since 2005. The Argentine though has had a solid start to this season, having notched up 7 goals and 8 assists in 13 games already.