The Old Lady official is of the opinion that their Portuguese superstar deserved to take home the top gong in Milan. They believe that Cristiano Ronaldo should have been the winner of the much coveted FIFA men's player award and not Lionel Messi, according to Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici.
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi took home the award for the first time in a ceremony held at Milan on Monday, with Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk coming second and Ronaldo in third.
Fabio Paratici claims that there must have been a mix up by the judges, claiming that Ronaldo was worthier to win the award because of the honours he had achieved in 2019.
We are also disappointed over the award last night," Paratici was quoted by Corriere dello Sport.
While still respecting Messi, who is a great player, we think and thought that after last season, having won the Nations League, Serie A, and the Italian Super Cup, having played a great Champions League, he [Ronaldo] deserved this award."
Ronaldo's 36 ranking points trailed behind Messi's 46 and Van Dijk's 38.
Congratulations Lionel Messi!!!