Former Juventus defender Mehdi Benatia has revealed the extent of Cristiano Ronaldo’s disappointment after missing out on the 2018 Ballon d’Or. While the two played together in Turin for only six months, Benatia was part of the Juventus dressing room when the award was presented to Luka Modric, noting that the Portuguese superstar was visibly hurt by the decision.
Speaking on the Les Affranchis Talk podcast alongside Samir Nasri, Benatia explained that Ronaldo was absolutely intent on securing the accolade. At the time, the forward had just concluded a season where he lifted his third consecutive Champions League trophy with Real Madrid and finished as the competition’s top scorer with 15 goals before moving to Italy.
The winner, Luka Modric, had captained Croatia to their first-ever World Cup final and earned the tournament’s Golden Ball. In the final voting tally, the Croatian midfielder secured 753 points, comfortably ahead of Ronaldo, who finished second with 476. The remaining top five candidates were as follows
- Antoine Griezmann (414)
- Kylian Mbappé (347)
- Lionel Messi (280)
Ronaldo had previously secured consecutive wins in 2016 and 2017 but never regained the trophy. His career haul remains at five, with his inaugural win coming in 2008 while at Manchester United following a 42-goal campaign that yielded both Premier League and Champions League titles. His subsequent four awards were earned at Real Madrid in 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017, consistently aligning with Champions League or La Liga successes. In 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017, the last of them following another Champions League triumph and a La Liga title, the other four came at Real Madrid.
Between 2008 and 2021, Modric stands as the only player besides Lionel Messi and Ronaldo to have claimed the honor. While Ronaldo has not won the award since 2017, Messi eventually extended his record to eight total Ballon d’Or wins, adding three more after the 2017 season.
