The entire soccer community couldn’t wait for the new Ballon d’Or winner to be revealed after nearly two years of wait. Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi received the award for the seventh time this year, extending his dominance in the all-time winners list. Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, was ranked sixth.
In the previous weeks, world soccer made clear how excited it felt for this year’s awards as several leaks went viral on the Internet, with other reports anticipating who the winner would be. But even after the ceremony, the 2021 Ballon d’Or is stilla hot topic.
While a number of people have questioned the jury’s decision on picking Messi over Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, the votes by country were revealed and fans have gone even crazier with some choices.
2021 Ballon d’Or: Ronaldo snubbed by Portugal as votes by country are revealed
Journalist Andres Onrubia Ramos has revealed on Twitter howeach journalist from every country has voted for this year’s event. Needless to say, that left a lot to talk about, but some decisions were more controversial than others.
For instance, the fact that Portuguese journalist Joaquim Rita didn’t pick Ronaldo as one of his first five options was certainly a surprise. While it’s debatable what position Cristiano deserved, it’s quite surprising that someone from his own countrysnubbed him. Additionaly, he didn’t choose Messi either.
Other journalists have also snubbed both Messi and Ronaldo, often placingLewandowski as theirfirst choice.Meanwhile, other players who have also made a lot of shortlists were Chelsea starsN’Golo KanteandJorginho.
At the end of the day, everyone has their own opinion and it’s not up to us to judge each journalist’s favorite options. However, many votes have been subject of memes and hilarious reactions on social media.