"He wasn't here because he didn't win? It was a personal decision not to come, which he took during the day. We want to respect this. On our end, we are very disappointed that he didn't receive the trophy. This is for the performances in the Champions League and not the World Cup, so we maintain Ronaldo deserved it more.

 

"I take nothing away from the decision made. However, if I had voted, I would've voted for Ronaldo. I don’t say that because he is our player, but as a lover of football.”

 

Luka Modric won the 'player of the season' award instead of Ronaldo; a decision that was also criticised by the Portuguese's agent Jorge Mendes.