Virgil van Dijk missed out on the 2019 Ballon d’Or last night, as Lionel Messi claimed his record sixth title of the personal accolade.
The big Dutchman made a light-hearted joke at the expense of Cristiano Ronaldo, and it hasn’t gone down well with everyone.
It was an obvious joke, and not a statement to be taken seriously, but here we are – the Portugal captain’s sister has taken issue with it.
You see, Ronaldo didn’t attend the ceremony and finished third so van Dijk joked that he couldn’t have been a rival for the Ballon d’Or, as he didn’t even attend.
An interviewer asked van Dijk if he thought the third best player in the world not attending meant he had one less rival – the Liverpool man then joked “was he a rival, then?” – as quoted by the Metro.
It then didn’t take long for Cristiano’s sister to take to her Instagram to post a lengthy rant about something that would have taken van Dijk a second to say.
The issue is that a lot of people haven’t seen van Dijk say the joke – they’ve only seen chopped up versions of it written down with very little context. Anyone who knows Virgil even just a little bit can say there’s zero chance he would disrespect a player like Cristiano like that.
And for those that can’t translate the post, here is what she said:
‘I think there are people living completely frustrated !!! And unrealistic… such humility! It is well known that Ronaldo will not win tonight’s prize. Although I have won important collective titles … but this is another conversation and that up ahead we will see where the truth about football will come !!! Now, dear Virgil, where you are going, Cristiano Ronaldo has gone and has come a thousand times. You see, my dear Virgil, that Cristiano Ronaldo was a tri-champion in the country where you have been playing for years and you still haven’t got your hand in the can. Cristiano Ronaldo was even the best player and best scorer in the country where you play Virgil. By the way, I was even younger than you. Then, dear Virgil, Cristiano Ronaldo went to other places and became the greatest player in the history of a clubezito. Real Madrid, tell you something Virgil? Maybe so, because this club, with this Cristiano guy, even beat you in the Champions League final. Of these, Ronaldo already has five, Virgil. And that fellow Ronaldo and team-mates, with the corners on his chest, crushed your “orange” in a final. Was it hard, Virgil? We have pity. And, dear Virgil, In one of the least successful times of his career, Cristiano Ronaldo has won even more titles than you. Awesome, isn’t it? Now Virgil will win titles from those who really count and then we’ll talk. When you have a handful of them, the really important ones, you might be able to sit at the table with Cristiano. Or as they say in our land, it grows and appears! It’s for me Cristiano you are and you will always be the best player in the world !!! And who does not like to put it on the wheel of the plate !!! (as they say in our land, small for many) but where came the best ever.’