- Lionel Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or title in Paris on Monday evening
- The record-extending victory put him three ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s total
- Listen to the latest episode of the Mail Sport podcast ‘It all begins!’
Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister continued her younger sibling’s fervent defense by co-signing a social media post that appeared to take a swipe at Lionel Messi following his Ballon d’Or win this week.
The Argentine took home a record-breaking eighth trophy at the ceremony in Paris on Monday night, after starring for his national team as they won the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
The triumph left Messi three times ahead of his old rival, who won the last of his five Ballon d’Or awards in 2017. While many praised the 36-year-old for the unprecedented achievement, others claimed the award was little more than a lifetime achievement award.
Katia Aveiro, 46, seemed to agree with the latter when she commented on a social media post praising the Portuguese great’s exploits shortly after Monday’s ceremony.
The post on
Katia Aveiro found and responded to a post that seemed to irritate Lionel Messi
Katia Aveiro (left) has been a vocal supporter of her brother Cristiano Ronaldo in recent years
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Lionel Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or title in Paris on Monday evening
The image was captioned: “Earned, not given.” In an apparent dig at the former Barcelona star who has claimed at least two somewhat controversial trophies in recent years.
Aveiro liked the post and responded with five clapping emojis – possibly as a nod to her brother’s own grades or simply to emphasize how much she supported the message.
It is not the first time that the Portuguese pop singer has intervened in the eternal debate about modern football. Last year she labeled the World Cup as ‘the worst ever’ in a dramatic post on social media.
She wrote: ‘The worst World Cup of all time’, before ultimately praising the victorious South American side by adding: ‘Thankfully that gave us a great final. What a match. Congratulations to Argentina.”
Aveiro had previously urged Ronaldo to leave the World Cup and come home to a place where he experiences ‘all gratitude and not ingratitude’ after his relegation to the Portuguese bench during the tournament.