Things may not be going well for Cristiano Ronaldo this season, but the Portuguese ace is set to receive a huge boost. According to a report out of Spain, the Real Madrid star has been chosen as the 2017 Ballon d’Or winner.
Rumors had recently emerged that the prize would go to Lionel Messi, a player who endured a disappointing 2016/17. Despite finishing the season as La Liga top-scorer, the Argentine only enjoyed success in the Copa del Rey with his Barcelona side.
However, the Blaugrana icon has been on fire this season and almost single-handedly guided his national team into the 2018 World Cup. Cristiano, on the other hand, has struggled in La Liga, scoring only twice in 10 starts – he does have eight goals under his belt in the Champions League this season, though.
However, the 32-year-old’s exploits appear to have been too great to ignore. This is according to Mundo Deportivo, reporting that the Blancos icon has already been chosen as the recipient of the award.
Deportivo continued, handing details as to how Cristiano will be crowned. The Spanish publication claims that France Football will hand Ronaldo the award at the top of the Eiffel Tower by David Ginola.
The winner will be announced on Thursday night, a day after Cristiano and Co. plays in their final Champions League group stage clash. The attacker is expected to be joined by Florentino Perez and Zinedine Zidane.
This will be bad news for Messi, who will be in action on Tuesday in Barcelona vs Sporting. The Argentine would have to share his record of most Ballon d’Or wins by a single player (5) with his rival.
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