Ballon d’Or 2023: Die Hard Ronaldo Fan iShowSpeed Arrives at Awards, Performs ‘Siuu’ Celebration

• American YouTuber, iShowSpeed paid homage to Cristiano Ronaldo at the 2023 Ballon d'Or Awards
• Unfortunately, Speed's idol Ronaldo missed out on the award's roster for the first time since 2004
• Conversely, Ronaldo's longstanding rival Lionel Messi won his 8th gong this year

iShowSpeed made his debut appearance at the 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony held at the Theatre du Chatelet, Paris, on Monday, October 30th.

Regarded as the most esteemed individual football accolade awarded annually to a soccer player, the Ballon d'Or, established in 1956, marked its 67th year in 2023 under the patronage of France Football.

Lionel Messi clinched an unprecedented eighth title, ahead of Manchester City's prolific striker Erling Haaland and 2022 World Cup finalist Kylian Mbappe, as cited by Eurosport.

But the absence of Messi's long-standing rival and five-time winner, Cristiano Ronaldo, was a notable omission from the event.

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Speed pays tribute to Ronaldo

According to talkSPORT, despite Ronaldo's absence, one of his ardent supporters, Speed, graced the evening's ceremony as a special guest.

The American YouTuber donned a black suit paired with foam runners and enthusiastically strode down the red carpet.

In a tribute to his idol, Speed promptly demonstrated his allegiance by recreating Cristiano's signature 'Siuu' goal celebration.

Here is the video:

Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or absence explained

Vincent Garcia, the editor-in-chief of France Football, provided insight into the decision to omit Ronaldo from this year's Ballon d'Or Awards nominee list, marking the first instance since 2004 that the Portuguese superstar has not been included, as reported by Sports Brief.

Ronaldo's challenging season with Manchester United and Portugal's exit at the World Cup quarter-finals apparently fell short of meeting the requirements for inclusion among the prestigious nominees for the 2023 Gala.

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Garcia highlighted that Ronaldo's performances did not meet the expected criteria for the prestigious accolade.

Messi wins record-extending 8th Ballon d'Or

Sports Brief also reported that Lionel Messi won the eighth Ballon d'Or of his remarkable career at a glittering ceremony in Paris on Monday, while Spain's World Cup-winning star Aitana Bonmati took the women's prize.

For Messi, the trophy rewards, above all else, his inspirational performances at last year's World Cup in Qatar, when he dragged Argentina to victory, scoring seven goals and being named the tournament's best player.