Portugal’s defeat to Belgium in the second round of the European Championship also removes Cristiano from any slim chance of winning the Ballon d’Or this season. The Portuguese star said goodbye to the tournament much earlier than expected and, although he shone in the first phase with five goals in three games, he was unable to pull the car on the key day, before Belgium in La Cartuja.
With this early elimination, Cristiano ends an especially bad year for him. At Juventus he savored the honeys of disappointment by not winning Serie A and finishing in 4th position (the Turin team had nine titles in a row) and also fell to the first change in the Champions League, also in the second round, against Porto in a very disappointing tie at all levels. Not even his 29 goals in Calcio served to make Juve champion.
Their only joy, and the only important title obtained, was the Coppa Italia they won against Atalanta, a minor success for a squad designed to win everything like Juventine. In summer, before starting the season, they also lifted the Italian Super Cup against Naples, a title even smaller than the Coppa.
Without Ballon d’Or
The final big disappointment came in the Euro. Portugal arrived as European champion in 2016 and Nations League champion in 2019. However, the bad first phase condemned them to face Belgium in the round of 16 and the defeat leaves them out very soon. Despite Cristiano’s five goals in the tournament, the general feeling is one of fiasco.
In this way, the Juve player, who still does not know if he will continue in Turin, loses any minimal option he had of being able to win the Ballon d’Or this year. It will be four seasons since he won the last of his four awards for best player in the world. With 36 years already, it seems difficult that he can fight again to win one.