- Cristiano Ronaldo has been left out of the IFFHS top ten ranking
- His reaction has gone viral
- The list has fans online divided
Despite being the top goal scorer in the world for 2023, CR7 has not managed to impress. Ever since his move to Saudi Arabia, pundits have been quick to point out his decline. But the numbers say otherwise, and many other impressive superstars have followed him to Saudi Arabia...so it's not an easy league anymore.
Cristiano just laughs it off
In a world where football rankings spark as much debate as the matches themselves, one superstar's reaction is making headlines! Cristiano Ronaldo has served up a masterclass in shrugging off snubs, laughing in the face of his omission from the International Federation of Football History and Statistics' (IFFHS) top ten footballers of 2023.
He simply commented with some crying laughing emojis.
The list, which crowned Manchester City's Erling Haaland as the crème de la crème, seemed to overlook the goal-scoring exploits of the Portuguese legend.
The snub became the talk of the town when Portuguese news outlet 'A Bola' shared the rankings on Instagram. Ronaldo, now dazzling fans at Al-Nassr, responded with a volley of laughing emojis, showing he's not one to be sidelined by a list. The football world took note: Ronaldo's not sweating the small stuff!
Despite the IFFHS cold shoulder, Ronaldo has been nothing short of sensational, netting a jaw-dropping 53 goals across all competitions in 2023. His Boxing Day brilliance saw him score a brace, contributing to Al-Nassr's 5-2 triumph over Karim Benzema's Al-Ittihad. It's clear – Ronaldo's boots are still sprinkled with stardust!
This has once again revived the debate that millions around the world have had: is Ronaldo still one of the best around, and does the international press have a bias against him?
After all, Lionel Messi made the list and he barely played this season at all, as his team were eliminated from the MLS playoffs which means 4 months-off and top players compete for 10 months out of the year ... but nevertheless, he is on the list.
And so, the rankings saw the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, Ronaldo's long-standing rival, take the second and third spots, respectively.
But while the list buzzed with talent, Ronaldo's absence was the elephant in the room. The football maestro, recently seen sharing a laugh with UFC's Conor McGregor, has proven that his age is just a number, with a goal tally that speaks louder than any ranking.Also interesting:
But it's halted!
Uniting the best
As the football community debates the IFFHS choices, Ronaldo's focus remains unshaken. His goal-scoring spree has kept Al-Nassr in the title chase, and his performance on the pitch is a testament to his enduring prowess.
Fans are not sure that the list is fair, but it doesn't look like CR7 will care all that much. Now, at the twilight of his career, he's only interested in enlarging his ridiculous statistics.
With or without the ranking recognition, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to be a force of nature, and a goal-scoring juggernaut that shows no signs of stopping. Hopefully, he can make himself available for the upcoming 2024 Eurocup and prove the critics wrong yet again.
