Despite winning five major competitions, including the UEFA Champions League, in the 2012-2013 season, Franck Ribery finished third in the 2013 Ballon d’Or voting, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Basile Boli, the former Marseille defender and ambassador for Africa Top Sports, expressed disappointment for Ribery but believes that the French midfielder will bounce back during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Boli stated, “I don’t know if I like the result, but what is certain is that Franck deserved it as much as Ronaldo. But I am convinced that he will recover very quickly. And that he will even take some… revenge during the 2014 World Cup.”
Cristiano Ronaldo ultimately won the Ballon d’Or for the second time in his career, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic received the Puskas Prize.
