Cristiano Ronaldo yesterday night was absent in the FIFA awards in London and this triggered the media. The Portuguese playmaker have previously sit out of the UEFA awards night, with media reporting that the Portuguese might have discovered that he was not the winner of both individual accolades. Barcelona playmaker Lionel Messi was also nowhere to be found.
Ronaldo’s absence on the night however raised questions about his level of Sportsmanship and Professionalism in football with Fabio Capello, David Suker and Diego Forlan adding their voice to a long list of angry sports lovers.
Ronaldo has won last two consecutive edition of the award, while earning honors twice when the award was FIFA Ballon d’Or. He has earned it while it was FIFA World Player of the Year.
Capello in a fiery statement before the start of ceremony, said: “The absence of Ronaldo and Messi? It is a lack of disrespect, for the players, for FIFA and for all the world of football”. “It is possible that they won too much and do not like to lose. In life you have to be good when you win and when you lose”.
Diego Forlan in addition to Capello’s statement stated that the absence was lack of respect. He said: “It’s a pity, Messi attended the gala last year and he didn’t win”. “It’s a pity if it happens the same with Ronaldo than in the UEFA gala”. “It’s an event of every player and it’s important to be here. No matter who win? A player has to show his attitude and actions, because they are a model for the world”.
Suker who finished behind Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo de Lima in the 1998 FIFA World Player of the Year award called for Sportsmanship behavior. He said: “You have to be a gentleman when you win, but also when you lose”.