Franck Ribery heckled by Cristiano Ronaldo fans during UEFA Nations League final for Ballon d'Or comments - Reports
Portugal fans reportedly targeted Franck Ribery, who was in the stands watching Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. beat Spain on penalties to win the UEFA Nations League on Sunday (June 8).
Ribery was overlooked for the 2013 Ballon d'Or despite helping Bayern Munich to a continental treble, with the award going to Ronaldo, who didn't win a major title with Real Madrid that season.
Ahead of the Nations League title clash, Ronaldo had said about this year's potential Ballon d'Or winner, suggesting that it could go to one who won the 2025 UEFA Champions League:
"The individual awards have lost some consensus, said Ronaldo (as per Sport Bible). "I can’t say anything about who should win. In my opinion, those who stand out and win the Champions League should win.
"But there is no consensus. I don’t believe much in individual awards because I know what goes on behind the scenes. Lamine (Yamal) could win, like (Ousmane) Dembele or Vitinha, other emerging players, but individual awards are irrelevant."
Ribery responded to the comments:
"So you NEED to win the Champions League to win the Ballon d’Or?"
Portugal fans didn't take that kindly, with some seen heckling the Frenchman after Ronaldo made it 2-2 in the 61st minute, having trailed 2-1 at the break.
Coming back to the game, Martin Zubimendi's 21st-minute opener for La Roja was cancelled out by Nuno Mendes five minutes later. Mikel Oyarzabal (45') gave the reigning European champions a half-time lead, but Ronaldo restored parity for the Selecao.
Having been subbed out before the extra period, Ronaldo watched on as his teammates won a tense shootout 5-3, with Ruben Neves drilling home the winning effort following Alvaro Morata's miss. It made Portugal the first team to win the Nations League twice, having won the inaugural edition in 2019.
What has Franck Ribery said about missing out 2013 Ballon d'Or award to Cristiano Ronaldo?
Franck Ribery still feels aggrieved about his Ballon d'Or snub more than a decade ago. The Frenchman had bagged 11 goals and 23 assists in 43 games in the 2012-13 season as Bayern won their first continental treble.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo amassed 55 strikes and 13 assists in 55 games that campaign for Real Madrid to take home the coveted honour for the second time, ending Lionel Messi's four-year stranglehold, with the Argentinian finishing second.
"It's the biggest injustice of my career," Ribery told L'Equipe (as per GOAL) in June 2019. "Not only for me, for many people. I was on top and I finished 3rd. I had nothing to envy Ronaldo or Messi that year. I say it in all humility because it is the truth."
Ribery ended his career without winning the prestigious award, while Cristiano Ronaldo won it three more times since his 2013 triumph, with his most recent coming in 2017.
