The prestigious Ballon d’Or award has helped repair the strained relationship between Cristiano Ronaldo, the captain of Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, and officials of the Portuguese national team.
French magazine France Football announced on Wednesday evening that Ronaldo had been crowned the winner of the “BOAT” award, recognising him as the greatest player in the history of Ballon d’Or winners, in recognition of his triumph in 2008 while playing for Manchester United.
The Portuguese superstar defeated his Argentine rival Lionel Messi in the voting, with “The Flea” finishing second for the Ballon d’Or he won in 2012 while playing for Barcelona.
Ronaldo’s award prompted Portugal’s national team’s official account on the social media platform X to congratulate him.
“From 2008 to eternity, the greatest Ballon d’Or winner in history is Portuguese. Congratulations, captain,” the post read.
The congratulatory message has helped establish a new connection between Ronaldo and Portugal’s national team following the crisis during the last international break, when his absence from the UEFA Nations League match against Norway caused tensions.
Ronaldo left Portugal’s training camp before the match against Denmark. The football federation later suspended him for 30 days, with the suspension set to end before the next international break, and fined him €255.
Jorge Jesus, head coach of the Portuguese national team, has also decided to include Ronaldo in the expanded preliminary squad for next month’s international break in November.
Ronaldo remains the most prominent player in the history of Portugal’s national team. He helped the country win three major titles: the European Championship in 2016 and the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025. He also remains Portugal’s all-time leading goalscorer.