I was better than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo one year and Ballon d’Or snub still haunts me

03/22/2025 11:13 AM

Twelve years may have passed, but Franck Ribery is still not over his 2013 Ballon d’Or snub.

The Frenchman had a year to remember in 2013 on an individual and team basis with German giants Bayern Munich.

That year, the Bavarians won the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, the Club World Cup, the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the German Super Cup.

As for Ribery himself, he registered 22 goals and 18 assists from 52 games for club and country.

It was enough for Ribery to win the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award for the 2012/13 season.

Despite UEFA’s recognition, the Ballon d’Or voters did not agree.

Instead, Ribery came third in the 2013 Ballon d’Or voting with 1,127 votes (23.36 per cent).

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi was second with 1,205 votes (24.72 per cent) as Cristiano Ronaldo took out the top gong with 1,365 votes (27.99 per cent).

However, there was plenty of controversy regarding the voting process.

The initial deadline for votes to be submitted was November 15.

But, in a Ballon d’Or first, voting was extended to November 29 because FIFA claimed there weren’t enough eligible voters before the November 15 deadline.

Speaking in a new interview with L’Equipe, Ribery branded the whole saga ‘an injustice.’

“With the utmost and maximum humility and respect, Messi and Ronaldo were not better than me in 2013,” Ribery said.

“The 2013 Ballon d’Or will forever remain an injustice. I’m still looking for an explanation.

“I had the perfect year. I couldn’t have done better. I’ll never understand why the closing date for the vote was extended by more than two weeks.

“Leo and Cristiano always showed me respect. They knew I was at their table.

“Being completely humble, in 2013, I had nothing to envy about them.”

It proved to be as close as Ribery ever got to a Ballon d’Or.

Although the 41-year-old was and still is crushed by the snub, a glance at Ronaldo and Messi’s respective seasons paint a different picture.

Messi scored 42 times and provided 15 assists across 45 matches for Barcelona and Argentina.

As for the 2013 Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo, he registered a whopping 66 goals and 15 assists from 56 games for Real Madrid and Portugal.

The 2013/14 campaign was the last time Ribery hit double figures in goals as he eventually departed Bayern in 2019.

He spent two seasons with Serie A side Fiorentina before one final move to Salernitana in the summer of 2021.

Unfortunately a recurring knee injury ultimately forced Ribery to retire in October 2022.