Sports
Ronaldo Wins Ballon d'Or, Strengthens Ties with Portugal National Team
The Ballon d'Or award has repaired the strained relationship between Cristiano Ronaldo, captain of Saudi Arabia's Al‑Nassr, and officials of the Portugal national team. French magazine France Football announced on Wednesday that Ronaldo had been crowned the "GOAT" award as the best player in the history of Ballon d’Or winners, recognising his triumph in 2008 while at Manchester United. The Portuguese star beat his Argentine rival Lionel Messi in the vote, with Messi finishing second for the Ballon d’Or he won in 2012 at Barcelona. Ronaldo’s award prompted the Portugal national team’s official account on X to congratulate him, writing: "From 2008 to eternity, the best Ballon d’Or in history is Portuguese, congratulations captain." That congratulation has forged a new link between Ronaldo and the Portugal national team, following the crisis during the last international break over his non‑participation in the match against Norway in the UEFA Nations League. Ronaldo left the Portugal camp before the clash with Denmark. The football federation later suspended him for 30 days, ending before the next international break, and fined him 255 euros. Jorge Jesus, head coach of the Portugal national team, has also decided to include the "Madeira Rocket" in the expanded preliminary squad for the international break during the coming month of November. Ronaldo stands as the most prominent player in the history of the Portugal national team. He helped them to three titles, namely the European Nations Cup in 2016 and the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025, and he remains their all‑time top scorer.