‘It’s fictional’: Ronaldo on Ballon d’Or

For the third year in a row, Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo was left out of the top 30 list for the Ballon d'Or, which was recently announced by the French authorities.

Cristiano, who has won this prestigious prize five times, the last being in 2017, has been dismissive of the prize before, and the 40-year-old once again dismissed the award after the latest snub.

This year, only players active in the top five European leagues have been short-listed, and Ronaldo, who plays for Saudi side Al-Nassr, was overlooked.

After Al-Nassr's recent exhibition game in Portugal against Rio Ave, which they won 4-0, Ronaldo was asked about who could win the Ballon d'Or next, to which he gave a dismissive reply, saying, "It's fictional."

Last year, the former Real Madrid legend had questioned why Real's Vinicius Junior was snubbed for the prize, which was given to Manchester United's Rodri.

"There's no credibility. Vinícius should have taken the award. I've felt that way many times, and I felt anger," Ronaldo stated at the time.