Cristiano Ronaldo sensationally claims that Ballon d'Or and The Best are 'losing credibility' after Al-Nassr star misses out to Lionel Messi in both awards as Portuguese legend slams critics for believing he was 'lost' following Man Utd banishment

Ronaldo was critical after Lionel Messi was named as the winner for both awards, suggesting that he had been snubbed. The Portuguese star pointed to 'the numbers' and argued that perhaps it should have been him that had won, rather than Messi. He also credited his response to being axed by Manchester United as a further reason for why he should have won the award.

Speaking to Record, Ronaldo said: “It’s not to say that Messi didn’t deserve it, or Haaland or even Mbappe… but the numbers are there and the numbers don’t deceive. You have to consider the entire season.

“The numbers are facts. If you go back and see what happened at Manchester United and the national team, people actually considered me lost... But the truth is that I focused and had a great period at Al Nassr, that's why I scored 54 goals".

These latest quotes form yet another display of incredible self-confidence from Ronaldo to add to an extensive catalogue. The striker recently claimed the Saudi Pro League was better than Ligue 1 and has been speaking often about his goalscoring feats of 2023. In reality, few would argue Ronaldo deserved to win either of the awards and even less would agree that the 39-year-old is the best player in the world anymore - even if he believes it himself.

Luckily for Ronaldo, he will have a chance to prove he is a better player than Lionel Messi - or, at least, to justify it to himself. The long-time rivals will face off for possibly the last time as Al-Nassr take on Inter Miami in a friendly on February 1.