The Juventus star used the social media platform to make an interesting contribution following his non-attendance at the ceremony.
Cristiano Ronaldo posted a philosophical message on Instagram after opting to skip the FIFA awards ceremony, where long-time rival Lionel Messi was named the Best Men’s Player.
Ronaldo finished third behind Messi and Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk but decided not to attend the ceremony in Milan on Monday.
The 34-year-old has been ruled out of Juventus’s Serie A clash against Brescia on Tuesday due to an adductor injury and, after the awards ceremony, Ronaldo took to his official Instagram account to post a cryptic message.
“Patience and persistence are two characteristics that differentiate the professional from the amateur,” he wrote.
“Everything that is big today has started small. You can’t do everything, but do everything you can to make your dreams come true.
“And keep in mind that after night always comes dawn.”
Ronaldo controversially snubbed winner Messi among his three selected players in the ballot voting, opting to pick Juventus team-mate Matthijs de Ligt, De Jong and PSG star Kylian Mbappe, in that order.
Messi, however, did include Ronaldo, having the Portuguese attacker as his second option behind Liverpool’s Sadio Mane and ahead of his Barca team-mate Frenkie de Jong.
Second-placed Van Dijk named Messi as his winner on his ballot before selecting Reds team-mates Mohamed Salah and Mane in second and third respectively, having won the Champions League alongside the Egypt and Senegal stars, Goal reports.
Ronaldo claimed the Best FIFA Men’s Player award in 2016 and 2017 before finishing second to Luka Modric last year.
He has scored two goals in five games this season for Juventus, who are second to Inter in the Serie A table.
The former Real Madrid forward’s conduct in Juve’s recent 2-2 draw with Atletico Madrid in the Champions League came into question after he was accused of making a controversial hand gesture.
But Ronaldo insists that the gesture means, ‘learn, you have to learn’, and suggested critics were reading too much into it.
“People like to talk too much, ” Ronaldo told Sky Sport Italia. “That’s all. People are stupid and talk too much.”
