Cristiano Ronaldo on Ballon d'Or: 'I Still Have Hope and Strength' to Win Again
Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed he is targeting more Ballons d'Or, despite turning 33 earlier in February.
The Real Madrid star spoke to Brazilian outlet Desimpedidos (h/t AS) and said:
"I could never have dreamed of winning the Ballon d'Or five times. But if my career was to end now, I would be very happy with how it all turned out.
"If I could win the Ballon d'Or again—twice, or three times...I would be absolutely delighted.
"But even if I don't win it again, I've already won it five times...I still have hope and strength to battle to win it again. It will depend on the trophies we win this year."
Ronaldo picked up his fifth gong last year to pull level with Lionel Messi.
The forward has enjoyed an excellent start to 2018 from a goalscoring perspective, too.
He has scored 12 goals in nine matches in all competitions, including a brace against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League.
As football journalist Miguel Delaney and Grup 14's Rafael Hernandez noted following the PSG clash, Ronaldo continues to make the difference for Real despite age having clearly caught up with him in terms of his overall play:
While it's debatable as to whether that should be enough to earn him the title of best in the world, given the way the voting for the Ballon d'Or has gone in recent years, it ensures he has as much chance of winning the award as Messi.
This year, the award will largely boil down to who succeeds in the Champions League and the World Cup.
Should Ronaldo's goals help Real win an unprecedented third UCL title in as many years, it's likely Messi's only chance of winning the Ballon d'Or—regardless of how well he plays otherwise—is to guide Argentina to the World Cup title.
Likewise, winning the World Cup with Portugal is the only thing that could clinch it for Ronaldo if Barcelona are crowned kings of Europe.
Regardless of the problems in relation to the voting, it's an incredible testament to Ronaldo that he remains in contention for such awards given his age, and it would hardly be surprising if he were to lift the gong at least once more before he retires.
