FRANCK RIBERY felt the wrath of Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo fans at the Nations League final after his recent comments about the Ballon d’Or.
The Frenchman hit out at Ronaldo after the 40-year-old had claimed the Ballon d’Or winner should be someone to have won the Champions League.
Ribery was at the stadium to watch the game and got bullied by Portugal fans and went inside quickly.
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— The CR7 Timeline. (@TimelineCR7) June 9, 2025
Franck Ribery was trolled by Portugal fans following his latest spat against Cristiano Ronaldo[/caption]
Ribery was accused of a ‘failed hate watch’[/caption]
He was jeered by fans as he watched Ronaldo and Co win the Nations League[/caption]
Cristiano Ronaldo scored as Portugal lifted the Nations League for the second time[/caption]
The Al-Nassr ace said at a press conference on Saturday: “The individual awards have lost some consensus, I can’t say anything about who should win.
“In my opinion, those who stand out and win the Champions League should win.
“But there is no consensus. I don’t believe much in individual awards because I know what goes on behind the scenes.
“Lamine [Yamal] could win, like [Ousmane] Dembele or Vitinha, other emerging players… but individual awards are irrelevant.”
Following those comments, Ribery took to social media and posted a thinly-veiled dig at the Portuguese.
He said on an Instagram story: “So you NEED to win the Champions League to win the Ballon d’Or?” He accompanied the message with a trio of laughing emojis.
The dig came in reference to the 2013 Ballon d’Or rankings.
Ribery ranked third that year behind Ronaldo – who scored 66 goals in 56 games – and Lionel Messi despite winning five trophies, including the Champions League, with Bayern Munich.
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The 42-year-old called the decision “unfair” in 2022 as he declared he should have won the gong in 2013.
However, Ribery’s online row spilled over into real life as he was greeted by jeers from trolling Ronaldo and Portugal fans during an appearance at the Uefa Nations League final on Sunday.
Ribery was in attendance at the Allianz Arena for the final as Portugal lifted the trophy for a second time by beating Spain on penalties.
Ronaldo also scored his nations equaliser to make it 2-2 in regulation time, which had also come after his winner in the semi-finals against Germany.
The winning crowd made their feelings towards Ribery known as a video went viral showing the former winger in a heated exchange with some fans.
He was eventually forced to retreat inside his hospitality box.
Fans also ripped in Ribery online as they accused him of having a “live hate watch fail.”
One user said: “A failed live hate watch must really hurt lol.”
A second said: “Failed hate watch x100.”
Another said: “Ribery failed hate watch.”
A fourth added: “I know a failed hate watch when I see one.”
The latest edition of the Ballon d’Or is set to have a surprise new winner, with the likes of Ousmane Dembele and Lamine Yamal among the favourites.
