With Luka Modric being crowned UEFA Player of the Year, most folks have simply congratulated the Real Madrid star on finally winning an award that was long overdue.
However, there was one fairly notable voice of dissent in the wake of Modric’s win, despite the Croatian midfielder winning a third straight Champions League before captaining his country to a World Cup final last season.
That voice belonged to Katia Aveiro, sister of Cristiano Ronaldo, who was rendered totally aghast that her sibling was passed over by UEFA.
Galled at seeing Ronaldo miss out on the Player of the Year award, Aveiro shared a graphic on Instagram comparing the stats accrued by Modric in the Champions League last season to those of her brother.
“Okay. Everyone can draw their own conclusion,” she wrote in the accompanying caption.
Ronaldo finished as top goalscorer with 15 goals and three assists in 12 games, whereas Modric mustered only one goal and one assist in 11 outings.
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to measure team influence, game control and general midfielder genius in numbers.
Other than that, Aveiro makes a solid — if slightly salty — point.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes earlier labelled the decision to award the Uefa Player of the Year award to Luka Modric “ridiculous and shameful”. Modric pipped his former team-mate by 90 points, with Liverpool’s Mo Salah coming third.
Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric and Keylor Navas all scoop awards at the Champions League UEFA Awards. But Mendes told Record he felt his client deserved the title, which would have completed a hat-trick.
Mendes said: “Football is played on the field and that’s where Cristiano won. He scored 15 goals, carried Real Madrid on his back and conquered the Champions League again.
“It’s ridiculous, shameful. The winner is not in doubt, as Ronaldo is the best in his position.”