Goodbye, Cristiano: Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or snub is another sad sign of Al-Nassr superstar's irrelevance as Europe continues to forget about one of the game's GOATs
The Portuguese striker was not included among the 30 nominees for the 2023 prize - which confirmed that his time at the top of the game is over
For the first time in 20 years, Cristiano Ronaldo will not be competing for the most prestigious individual award football has to offer. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid talisman received a record 19 consecutive Ballon d'Or nominations between 2004 and 2022, winning five times, but there was no place for him on the final shortlist this time around.
Ronaldo, who is currently away on international duty with Portugal, will no doubt have been left reeling by the snub given the size of his ego - which remains as inflated as ever despite his January move to Al-Nassr. He has, after all, made it clear that he plans to continue playing at the "highest level' into his forties.
But he is completely oblivious to the fact that he stopped being relevant a long time ago. European football has moved on from Ronaldo, whose vain attempts to extend his illustrious career are actually serving to damage his overall legacy.
No one could make a reasonable argument that Ronaldo should have been one of the 30 men nominated for the 2023 Ballon d'Or, despite his impressive start to life at Al-Nassr. He may have notched 14 goals in his first 16 games for the club, but the Saudi Pro League is a vastly inferior competition compared to any of Europe's top five divisions.
Ronaldo was also essentially left with no other choice but to head to the Middle East after an acrimonious end to his second spell at Manchester United. Erik ten Hag dropped the Portugal captain to the bench for the majority of the first half of the 2022-23 campaign, and he only managed to score three goals across the 10 games that he did start in all competitions.
It all led to an ill-advised interview with Piers Morgan, in which Ronaldo vented his frustration at Ten Hag and his United team-mates while refusing to acknowledge any faults in his game or character. His contract was subsequently terminated by mutual consent, and Ten Hag's side quickly became a much better team in his absence.
Ronaldo's fortunes didn't improve at the 2022 World Cup either. Fernando Santos also relegated the Portugal captain to a place among the substitutes, with Benfica's Goncalo Ramos providing a far greater threat after taking his spot upfront.
The Seleccao would eventually crash out at the hands of surprise package Morocco in the quarter-finals, and Ronaldo finished the tournament with just one goal from five appearances. Even when he was on the pitch, he failed to make any impact and generally looked way off the pace.
The bottom line is: Ronaldo wasn't even close to being one of the best players in the world last season.
For the best part of 15 years, Ronaldo was the leading man in European football alongside Barcelona legend Lionel Messi. The superstar duo have won a combined 79 trophies and scored over 800 goals each, re-writing the record books in the process.
But while Messi continued to deliver on the biggest stage last term for both Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina, picking up an elusive World Cup crown and second successive Ligue 1 title, Ronaldo shrunk into anonymity. The gulf in class between the two icons is now more evident that ever before, even after Messi's recent move to MLS outfit Inter Miami.
The 36-year-old is tipped to land a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or in October, and he would be a worthy winner - even for his exploits at Qatar 2022 alone. Messi proved at that tournament that he is still peerless in full flow, a true master of his profession.
Not that Ronaldo will ever admit to being behind Argentina's diminutive magician. "I don't see things like that, the rivalry is gone," he told a press conference earlier this week. "It was good, spectators liked it. Those who like Cristiano Ronaldo don't have to hate Messi and vice versa. We've done well, we have changed the history of football.
"We are respected all over the world, that's the most important thing. He's followed his path and I have followed mine, regardless of playing outside of Europe. From what I've seen, he's been doing well and so have I. The legacy lives on, but I don't see the rivalry like that."
In truth, the rivalry between Ronaldo and Messi has been dead for at least a year. And although the ex-Juventus forward is right to say that he still commands plenty of respect for his achievements, he won't be remembered as fondly as Messi in the long-run.
Ronaldo celebrated his 850th career goal during his latest Pro League outing as he helped Al-Nassr storm to a 5-1 win away at Al-Hazm. "It's a historic landmark," the veteran frontman said when quizzed on the feat. "For me it was a source of pride the numbers I achieved, which I didn't think I could reach.
"But I want more. While playing the game, the bar has to be high, thinking big." There is no denying that Ronaldo is in red hot form, having found the net six times in four games at the start of the 2023-24 campaign.
He also has four assists to his name, but these numbers shouldn't come as a surprise. Ronaldo isn't setting the bar high, he's meeting the minimum level of expectation.
Al-Nassr are a far stronger side than when Ronaldo first arrived, with Sadio Mane, Otavio, Marcelo Brozovic, Aymeric Laporte, Alex Telles and Seko Fofana all joining him at Mrsool Park over the summer. There is no excuse for Ronaldo to misfire with such a high-quality supporting cast helping him to bypass mediocre opposition defences.
"What I want most is to continue to always evolve, so that [the league] is top notch," Ronaldo added. It will be a long time before the Pro League falls into that bracket, even if their investment in top European talent continues at such an alarming rate.
Everyone is keeping one eye on the growth of the game in Saudi Arabia, particularly now that they have also managed to attract the likes of Neymar and Gabriel Veiga to their cause. But the Pro League will go back to being a sideshow once the summer transfer window in the Middle East slams shut.
"Every year I always have something to prove," Ronaldo said in an interview with Record in June. "Proving that I can set an example of longevity, at 38-and-a-half years old I think I'll still do very interesting things.
"What? Goals, assists, good preparation in the Selection, having a good qualifying phase, a good European Championship and continue to do what I've done in my 21-year career. I'll continue to enjoy it the same way. I still feel useful and good."
Despite his poor showing at the last World Cup, Ronaldo has retained the captain's armband for his country under the stewardship of Roberto Martinez, who replaced Santos at the helm in January. Barring a major collapse, Ronaldo will lead the line at Euro 2024 for Portugal, who have won all four of their opening qualifying matches.
Ronaldo has hit five goals in Group J already, but most of those efforts came during routs against Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. The Seleccao skipper is boosting his lead atop the all-time international scoring charts, but there is zero evidence that he can still perform in the biggest matches.
Portugal are blessed with a plethora of talented young players, especially in attacking positions. Ramos, Raphael Leao and Joao Felix could potentially form a deadly trio at next summer's European Championship, but they probably won't get the chance.
Ronaldo is back to being the first name on the team sheet, and Portugal will suffer for it. There is no chance of a glorious final swansong for a player who offers so little to the collective cause and continues to stand in the way of progress.
Ronaldo will feature in qualifying games against Slovakia and Luxembourg over the next week, with maximum points likely to be enough for Portugal to book their ticket to Germany. He will then return to Al-Nassr ahead of a Pro League clash with Al-Raed, before preparations begin for the start of their AFC Champions League campaign.
It is possible that Ronaldo will get his hands on some silverware by the end of the season. He may even add another Golden Boot to his collection.
But no one outside of Saudi Arabia really cares what Ronaldo achieves at club level anymore. In truth, many European fans would probably welcome his retirement at this stage.
Ronaldo is one of the greats of the game, but unlike his predecessors, does not know when to stop. Not being considered for the Ballon d'Or will likely only fuel his desire to prove his critics wrong, too.
The final chapter in Ronaldo's career will make for sad reading when he does eventually hang up his boots. But most people have said their goodbyes already.
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