Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Golden Ball five times in his career but will likely not appear in the Top 10 this year. CR7 failed to make a positive impact at Manchester United before leaving the club for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr.

At the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo also disappointed when he only scored 1 goal in 5 appearances, he lost his starting position to Goncalo Ramos. Recently, Bernardo Silva chose teammate Erling Haaland, Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr and Lionel Messi for the list of 3 strong candidates for the 2023 Golden Ball title.

When making his prediction, Silva told L’Equipe: “If Eriling Haaland wins the Premier League and Champions League, he can win the Ballon d’Or. If Madrid wins the Champions League, Vinicius Jr. capable of winning the award. Lionel Messi is also a strong candidate after winning the 2022 World Cup.”

Most recently, fans have noticed that Ronaldo no longer follows Silva on Instagram. Before that, it was Mesut Ozil just because the former Turkish player also chose Messi as the best player.

Messi has won 7 Golden Balls in his career. Even though he was eliminated from the Champions League early with PSG, the 2022 World Cup title still makes him the strongest candidate.