Franck Ribery admits he remains aggrieved by the decision to award Cristiano Ronaldo the 2013 Ballon d’Or after a controversial voting process.
The deadline for the vote in 2013 was originally November 15, but it was extended for the first time in the competition’s history by two weeks due to a lack of “eligible voters”.
Ronaldo, who was playing for Real Madrid at the time won his second Ballon d’Or, whilst Ribery finished third behind Lionel Messi.
In the 12 months prior to the Ballon d’Or vote, Ribery played a pivotal role in Bayern Munich’s historic treble, winning the Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB-Pokal.
When voting was originally closed, the Frenchman was favourite to win the prestigious award by the bookmakers.
“It was unfair,” Ribery told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “It was an incredible season for me, and I should have won it.
“They extended the time for votes, and something strange happened. I felt that it was a political choice.”
Ribery’s 2013 was more successful than Ronaldo’s as he won the treble, along with the Super Cup later that year.
Comparatively, Ronaldo failed to win any silverware for Real Madrid. However, his strong start to the 2013-14 season was enough to convince voters to choose him rather than Ribery.
