Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, with Cristiano Ronaldo, during the Globe Soccer Awards ceremony in Dubai. — Photo provided
Just steps from the main stage at the Globe Soccer Awards at Atlantis, a security cordon separated the VIP section from the platinum area.
At the back of the device, children raised their hands and shouted at the top of their lungs, reflecting the excitement.
The gala was visited by many figures from world Football, including Neymar, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Lamine Yamal, Thibaut Courtois, as well as legends like Alessandro Del Piero and Rio Ferdinand.
If all these stars were greeted with cheers, the cries of joy reached their climax when Cristiano Ronaldo took the stage, making the famous celebration song “siuuuu” which characterizes him resonate in the room.
Barely a month before celebrating his 40th birthday, Ronaldo proved that his charisma has not waned over the years.
Acting like a leading striker guarding the penalty area, Ronaldo took the opportunity to criticize the magazine French Footballwhich awards the Ballon d'Or each year, the equivalent of the football Oscars, to the best player of the season.
Sincere rewards
Shortly after Vinicius Junior was announced as the best player of the season at the Globe Soccer Awards for his role in Real Madrid's success in La Liga and the Champions League, Ronaldo took to the stage to receive a special award as the best all-time goalscorer with 916 goals.
Receiving his award from Sheikh Mansoor, Ronaldo praised Dubai for its fair organization while questioning the Ballon d'Or award for neglecting Vinicius Junior.
The latter was not awarded this year, with the prize going to Spanish midfielder Rodri for his role in Spain's victory at Euro 2024 and Manchester City's Premier League title, a decision which divided opinion in the world of football.
During the evening, five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo took aim at the French award committee for overlooking Vinicius Junior's breakthrough performances.
“I really believe that Vinicius deserved to win it. It wasn't fair in my opinion. He scored many goals and also scored a goal in the Champions League final. He should be rewarded when it is deserved,” Ronaldo said, before complimenting the Dubai awards committee.
“That’s why I love the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards, they do it so well every year. They organize honest rewards. Many champions attend this event because they always do it in a great way,” added the Real Madrid legend, drawing enthusiastic cheers from the audience.
The applause rang out even louder when the 39-year-old expressed his intention to continue playing.
“I will soon be 40, but I am still motivated to continue my work and score many more goals. I'm not finished, I want to become champion in Saudi Arabia now,” said the Al Nassr striker, who finished his first season without a trophy.
The Saudi championship is better
During the previous edition of the Globe Soccer Awards at the same venue in Dubai, Ronaldo caused shock waves by affirming that the Saudi championship was better than Ligue 1, one of the four best leagues in Europe.
But on Friday evening, the Euro 2016 champion reiterated his stance on the Saudi league, which has seen the arrival of many high-profile players following his high-profile transfer last year.
“The Saudi league is better, Ligue 1 is easy,” he said bluntly.
“I'm not saying that because I play it. I don’t care what people think, but they should go out there and see if they can do sprints at 38 or 39 or 40 degrees in those weather conditions.”
“They should move there and see. Don't believe my words. Just go over there and look.”
“Ligue 1 is just PSG, for the rest, it’s over. PSG have the best players, more money, no one can compete with them in France.”
“What I said before is a fact, I wasn't lying. I don't know why people were surprised,” he added, drawing a cheer from the audience.
Takeaways
- The ceremony was attended by many football celebrities.
- Ronaldo has expressed his disapproval over the awarding of the Ballon d'Or to Rodri at the expense of Vinicius Junior.
- He confirmed his motivation to continue his career despite approaching his 40th birthday.
- Ronaldo reinforced his position on the superiority of the Saudi league compared to Ligue 1.
The Globe Soccer Awards event highlights the issues surrounding talent recognition in the world of football. Ronaldo's approach to questioning the choices of rewards encourages us to reflect on the criteria that guide such decisions. Indeed, can we fairly evaluate the performance of a player in one championship compared to another, and how is the data interpreted and valued by the official authorities? A discussion that deserves further investigation.
