Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister takes unabashed dig at Lionel Messi over eighth Ballon d’Or win

Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister appeared to mock Lionel Messi after the Argentine won the Ballon d’Or on Monday.

Messi won the honor for the eighth time in his career with his heroics in helping Argentina win the World Cup for the third time.

Journalists from around the world were given the chance to vote for the Player of the Season for the 2022/23 season, with Messi’s exploits in Qatar considered a key factor in his recent success.

The Inter Miami star beat out Erling Haaland and former Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Kylian Mbappe, while his long-time rival Ronaldo failed to make the 30-man shortlist.

Monday’s win means Messi now has three more Ballon d’Ors than Ronaldo, who has five – his last win in 2017.

But the Argentine’s victory this week led to Ronaldo’s sister posting a subtle dig at him on Instagram.

Katia Aveiro endorsed a post on the social media platform praising Ronaldo’s five-time Ballon d’Or success while casting a shadow over Messi’s recent award.

The post featured Ronaldo surrounded by a series of personal awards, including his five Ballon d’Or trophies, alongside the caption: “Win, not give.”

Aveiro “liked” the post and then commented with five clapping emojis.

It’s not the first time Aveiro has been embroiled in a long-running debate over the two soccer greats, after describing last year’s World Cup as “the worst ever” before praising Argentina’s victory.