The agent of footballing icon Cristiano Ronaldo, Jorge Mendes, has erupted in fury after the Portugal national team captain snubbed his own teammate from the prestigious Ballon d'Or voting list.
In a stunning and barely concealed attack, Mendes slammed the decision by Manchester City defender Ruben Dias, who holds the captain's armband for Portugal, as "shameful and unacceptable" after he failed to include the five-time Ballon d'Or winner in his top five picks for the award.
The Captain's Controversial Choices
Instead of backing his legendary compatriot, Dias's votes were revealed to have gone to a host of other global stars:
- Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
- Rodri (Manchester City)
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
- Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
The omission of Ronaldo, who scored a remarkable 54 goals for club and country in 2023, has been labelled a blatant disregard for his phenomenal achievements.
Mendes's Scathing Rebuke
In a fiery statement, Jorge Mendes did not hold back, directly criticising the unnamed captain—confirmed to be Dias—for a lack of respect and national pride.
"This decision, which is unacceptable, calls into question the credibility of the award itself," Mendes declared. He emphasised that a player of Ronaldo's immense calibre, who is "the top scorer in the history of world football" and a national treasure, deserved recognition from his own captain.
Mendes concluded that the snub was not just a personal slight against Ronaldo, but a "shameful decision that hurts Portugal and its greatest figurehead."
The fallout from this voting scandal is set to dominate headlines and raises serious questions about internal dynamics within the Portugal squad ahead of the European Championship.
