Cristiano Ronaldo is on the list of nominees for this year’s Golden Ball, although there is little chance of a final triumph. According to “Le Parisien”, however, he is going to the “France Football” gala to celebrate the life success of one of his friends – Karim Benzema.
This year’s Golden Ball will be awarded much earlier than before. The winner of the most prestigious individual football plebiscite will be announced not in December, but on October 17.
France Football has decided to make important changes in terms of the rules of choosing the winner. From now on, it will no longer be awarded for the calendar year, but for one season – in this case for the 2021/2022 games.
The list of nominees was announced two months ago. The big surprise was the lack of Leo Messi and Neymar. Cristiano Ronaldo was in the top 30.
In the past, the Portuguese has reached for the Golden Ball five times and in this respect is second only to Messi. Now he doesn’t have much chance of winning, but he’s going to be in Paris.
According to journalists from “Le Parisien”, the 37-year-old already knows who will receive this year’s award. The winner is to be Karim Benzema, who led Real Madrid to triumph in the Champions League and La Liga.
The French forward has been friends with Ronaldo for years. The latter is to come to Paris especially to celebrate one of the greatest achievements in Benzema’s career with the “Królewski” sniper.