'Earned, not given': Cristiano Ronaldo's sister takes a swipe at Lionel Messi after 8th Ballon d'Or

Just when fans thought that the rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi was over, it took a new turn. Lionel Messi recently won his 8th Ballon d’Or after an astonishing year, with the Argentina National Team lifting the FIFA World Cup 2022. Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, is the top goal scorer of 2023 and has been unstoppable with Al-Nassr.

3 things you need to know

• Lionel Messi has won 8 Ballon d'Ors in his career so far 
• Cristiano Ronaldo has won 5 Ballon d'Ors in his career 
• Ronaldo and Messi are considered as the greatest footballers of all time

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Katia Aveiro reacts boldly to a post related to Ronaldo vs Messi

After Lionel Messi's most recent eighth Ballon d'Or victory, Katia Aveiro, the sister of Cristiano Ronaldo, expressed her support with a comment emphasising that her brother's accolades are "earned, not given."

While everyone was celebrating Messi's historic feat of winning his eighth Ballon d'Or, Ronaldo, who has won five Ballon d'Or trophies, seemed to be jokingly replying to postings that made fun of the Argentine icon. On social media, Katia Aveiro expressed a similar thought and quietly questioned Messi's most recent victory.

Messi's outstanding achievements for his country, which helped them win the 2022 FIFA World Cup, won him the most recent Ballon d'Or. With this achievement, he moved up to three Ballon d'Or ahead of Ronaldo, whose last one was in 2017.

While Messi was praised for reaching this milestone, there were hints that the Ballon d'Or award would have been seen as a celebration of his whole career, as opposed to just his exploits in the previous year, which is the designated criteria.

Following the event, Katia Aveiro stated that she agreed that prizes have to be "earned, not given." She responded to an Instagram picture of Cristiano Ronaldo with a plethora of medals, such as five Ballon d'Or wins, four European Golden Shoes, and three UEFA Men's Player of the Year crowns. Aveiro reacted with five cheering emojis to the post's caption, "earned, not given," which appeared to allude to Messi's prize. Her action may have been an homage to Ronaldo's accomplishments, but it's unclear if it supported the idea that Messi didn't deserve to win the Ballon d'Or.

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What’s next for CR7 and Messi?

Ronaldo will be seen in action for Al-Nassr in a match against Al-Khaleej in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday. On the other hand, Messi is currently training with Inter Miami and will soon be seen in action in friendlies, as the new MLS season starts in February 2024.