Since Cristiano Ronaldo was confirmed as this year’s Ballon d’Or winner, praises haven’t stopped flowing from illustrious football personalities. However, some of them have also expressed disenchantment towards the Cristiano Ronaldo’s crowning.
Let’s check out who said what…

First, the compliments of his Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson:

”We are very proud. Manchester United had been waiting for this for 40 years. Cristiano is in the tradition of our three other Ballons d’Or. His award is beyond all possible dispute,” he told France Football.

”He is only 23 years old. His best years are ahead of him. In life, you have two categories of people. Those who reach their goal and go to bed saying to themselves ‘I made it’ and the other ones, who are driven by will, desire.

”These ones, when they win the trophy, they say to themselves ‘I go on’… Ronaldo has that sparkle in himself.”

The 2006 World Cup and Golden Ball winner Fabio Cannavaro also congratulated Cristiano Ronaldo. His message was a bit less warm than Fergie’s, but all the same, it revealed quite a lot of sincerity:

“He fully deserves the Ballon d’Or but he was off the boil at the Euros,” Cannavaro told La Stampa.

“However, that didn’t matter too much because of what he did before. A Premier League, a Champions League and 42 goals, he didn’t have to do anything else.

“I voted for Cristiano Ronaldo, [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic and Iker Casillas. The best player of the year and the other two are good friends of mine.”

Ronaldo’s Manchester United team-mate and personal friend, Patrice Evra, was clearly ecstatic. “Hello Golden Boy!”, the French man greeted the newly crowned World Player of the Year on Tuesday morning.
Speaking to France Football Magazine, Evra hailed the prolific goal scorer with warm words expressing his enthusiastic mood, stating once again that there’s no argument to who is the World’s best and that he would have retired from football if Ronaldo did not win the Ballon d’Or.

Former Portugal captain Luis Figo also sent a message from Italy to his beloved lad Cristiano Ronaldo, declaring his emotions. The Nerazzuri midfielder, who became the second Portuguese player after the legendary Eusebio to lift this trophy in 2000, was extremely proud of the 23 year old Superstar winger and described him as a deserved winner.

On the contrary, his countryman Jose Mourinho was on the other side of opinions when asked if Ronaldo was a worthy winner:

“No, I would have preferred one of my own foreign players to have won the Ballon d’Or.”

Italy’s Marcelo Lippi also parts with this kind of comments.

“Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or because European journalists voted for him,” Lippi told Sky Sport Italia.

“I thought that either Lionel Messi or Ronaldo would have won.

“If it was me then I would have given the award to all my Italian squad players as they are my golden ball winners.

“Everytime I make my squad selection, every player which I pick is a Ballon d’Or winner.”

And what did the runner up, Lionel Messi, think about the whole thing?

“I was not ever worried about the Ballon d’Or, much less now.

“Fortunately things are going well for me, but I always say that the most important thing is to keep doing well for the team and to win many titles.

“I am only 21 years old and I have left many things to do in football.”

“Any player would like to win the Ballon d’Or, but neither am I obsessed with it,” he told the club’s official website. “I would rather win trophies for Barça or for Argentina.

“I expected to finish second. Ronaldo deserved to win it after everything he achieved and because he had a great year where he won two important trophies.

“All I can do is, carry on working and trying to do things well.”

As for the crowned Golden Boy himself, this is what he had to say:

“This is one that I want to win again because it is so good,” Ronaldo said after clinching the award. “Therefore, I will wake and I will say to myself ‘I want to be even better’.”

Written by: Angela Asante