"Making up awards for him", "Lucky Messi isn't in the Middle East" - Fans react as Cristiano Ronaldo wins special Global Soccer Award

Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the Best Middle East Player at the 2025 Globe Soccer Awards, winning the award for the third consecutive year.

So far, Ronaldo has enjoyed a remarkable 2025 with Al-Nassr. Despite being in the twilight of his career, the Portuguese superstar has continued to go strong with the Knights of Najd.

Ronaldo has scored 32 goals for Al-Nassr this year, the most of any player in the Middle East, and currently leads the scoring chart in the 2025/26 Saudi Pro League season. He triumphed over other contenders such as Salem Al-Dawsari (Al-Hilal), Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad), Roberto Firmino (Al-Ahli/Al-Sadd), N’Golo Kanté (Al-Ittihad), Riyad Mahrez (Al-Ahli), and Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli).

After Ronaldo was confirmed as the winner of the Best Middle East Player at the 16th edition of the Globe Soccer Awards, critics took to X to share their opinions on the decision.

One posted an AI overview from a search query, noting that Cristiano Ronaldo’s former agent, Jorge Mendes, is a co-founder of the Globe Soccer Awards.

“On my life this is not a real award😭😂😂😂,” they quipped.

Another tweeted:

“These mf’ers just making up awards🤣🤣🤣.”

A third echoed the same sentiments:

“They’re making up awards for him 😭😭.”

One user suggested that Ronaldo won the award because Lionel Messi isn’t playing in the Middle East.

“He’s lucky Messi ain’t in the Middle East,” they remarked.

The Best Middle East Player award was introduced in 2023, and Ronaldo has been the only recipient since its inception.

What Cristiano Ronaldo said after being named Best Middle East Player at 2025 Globe Soccer Awards

Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a heartfelt message of gratitude after he was named the Best Middle East Player at the five-star Atlantis The Royal hotel on Palm Jumeirah in Dubai on Sunday, December 28.

Speaking to the audience, Ronaldo said:

“Thanks to Globe Soccer for this amazing award. For me, it’s a big pleasure to see players, presidents, and agents. It’s a great night. This gala is one of my favorites, to be honest. Because I see so many beautiful people, especially my wife, who is always there to support me. My kids, my parent, and my teammates. It’s hard to still continue playing, but the passion is still high for me. I’m still very motivated to carry on. It doesn’t matter where I play; I’ve always enjoyed football, winning trophies, and scoring goals.

The Al-Nassr forward also admitted that his goal is to score a thousand career goals and assured fans he will reach the milestone if he remains injury-free. He continued:

“I want to carry on; you know what my goal is. I want to win more trophies, and I want to reach the number that you all know, and I will reach that number for sure if no injuries, Inshallah (God willing).”

Cristiano Ronaldo is the current top goalscorer in football history and is 44 goals away from reaching the 1,000-goal milestone.

Edited by Ezekiel Olamide