The internet was taken by storm when Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo shared a cryptic post on his Instagram account of him training with Al Nassr after Argentina’s Lionel Messi was awarded the 2023 FIFA Player of the Year award.
It is pertinent to mention here that Messi won the award for a record third time, narrowly beating Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe finishing third.
During the FIFA voting process, Messi and Haaland were tied with 48 points, however, Messi emerged as the winner as he received more votes from the national team captains.
The decision came as a surprise to many as they considered his normal performance between December 19, 2022 and August 20, 2023 – the period considered for the award.
During the same period, Haaland’s position was reportedly strong with 30 goals and securing a historic treble with Manchester City.
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In response to Ronaldo’s post, Netizens’ comments suggested that Ronaldo was a deserving candidate for the FIFA Best Player award.
Ronaldo had an outstanding campaign in 2023, scoring 54 goals and providing 15 assists for Al Nassr and Portugal in all competitions, averaging a goal per 96 minutes. “Back for more!” Ronaldo captioned his Instagram post.
