RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo simply uploaded a laughing emoji when he was not listed in the group of 10 best footballers in the world this year released by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).
The organization released its annual ranking of the 10 best footballers in the world earlier this week, with Manchester City striker Erling Haaland of Norway at the top.
The 38-year-old striker from Portugal was not listed at all, with only Bernardo Silva being the sole representative of his country on the list.
The list was uploaded by the Portuguese news site, A Bola, and Ronaldo, who is currently with the Saudi Arabian club, Al-Nassr, simply posted a laughing emoji on his Instagram page.
French striker Kylian Mbappe is in second place, while Ronaldo’s traditional rival, Lionel Messi – who also won his eighth Ballon d’Or earlier this year – is in third place.
Ronaldo returned to action for his club on Boxing Day, scoring twice for his 22nd and 23rd goals in all competitions of the season in a 5-2 win over Karim Benzema’s Al-Ittihad.
The two goals made a total of 53 goals scored by Ronaldo throughout 2023. He only failed to find the target in four league actions this season.