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Cristiano Ronaldo Franck RiberyGetty
Andrew Steel

Did Ronaldo rob Ribery of 2013 Ballon d’Or? Ex-Bayern Munich star still angered by ‘political choice’

C. Ronaldo
F. Ribery
Real Madrid
Bayern Munich
LaLiga
Bundesliga

The former Bundesliga star remains aggrieved by the call to award the forward the prize over him after voting was famously extended

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Former Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery still believes the decision to hand Cristiano Ronaldo the 2013 Ballon d'Or was a "political choice", almost a decade on from the Portuguese's surprise triumph at the award ceremony.

The then-Real Madrid attacker won the prestigious gong for the second time in his career, ending Lionel Messi's monopoly on the prize and sparking a duopoly of dominance between the pair.

Ribery came home in third, but had been the favourite with bookmakers when voting had originally closed, only for a two-week extension to be granted for the first time in the competition's history - and the former France international believes the move very much took an ultimate accolade away from him.

What has Ribery said about the Ballon d'Or?

Five days after voting originally closed on November 15 2013, FIFA announced a two-week extension through November 29 due to a lack of "eligible voters" that had already cast their ballot, in a move that the 39-year-old remains stung by.

“It was unfair," Ribery told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "it was an incredible season for me, and I should have won

Next matches
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FCB

Bundesliga

31 Oct 2026

BVB

BVB

SAN

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LaLiga

01 Nov 2026

RMA

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it.

"They extended the time for votes, and something strange happened. I felt that it was a political choice."

How did Ribery compare to Ronaldo?

The Frenchman arrived in late 2013 on the back of a remarkable 2012-13 campaign, having been the driving force behind Bayern's crusade through Europe, in a run that saw them win the Bundesliga and the Champions League in punishing fashion.

Comparatively, Ronaldo had endured his toughest season since transferring to Madrid, with Los Blancos drawing a remarkable blank during the same season.

But a blistering start to the 2013-14 campaign, which saw him fire the Santiago Bernabeu club towards success with Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema in tow, likely persuaded late-breaking voters to honour him, despite his lack of trophies.

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