Cristiano Ronaldo: Al-Nassr Star Speaks Out After 2025 Ballon d’Or Snub

Cristiano Ronaldo, the Al-Nassr star, expressed his disappointment after being left out of the 2025 Ballon d'Or nominee list released on August 7, 2025. This marks the second consecutive year that Ronaldo, 34, has been excluded from the prestigious award, with his long-time rival Lionel Messi making the cut.

The list of 13 nominees is headlined by Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembélé. Ronaldo took to Instagram to share his feelings about the snub, posting a picture of himself celebrating a goal and mentioning his achievements in the past season.

Despite winning the Ballon d'Or five times, Ronaldo has been critical of the recent decisions by the award's organizers. He also praised Sporting Lisbon, his former club, for selling striker Viktor Gyökeres to the Premier League, drawing parallels to his own transfer to Manchester United in 2003.

Ronaldo commended Gyökeres as a special player and.