Robert Lewandowski has questioned whether winner Lionel Messi was sincere with his praise towards him after beating the Bayern Munich striker to the 2021 Ballon d'Or award.
Messi claimed the coveted accolade for a record-extending seventh time last week, with Lewandowski finishing second as he settled for the inaugural Striker of the Year award.
Lewandowski was somewhat unfortunate to miss out to Messi, having scored 53 times in 42 games for Bayern between the start of 2021 and the award being handed out.
That was the most of any player in Europe's top five leagues across all competitions, with Messi – who won the Copa America with Argentina – joint-fifth on the list with 32 goals.
Poland international Lewandowski averaged a goal every 67 minutes over the same period. Among those with 10 goals or more, club-mate Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting was the next-most regular scorer, netting every 84 minutes.
Lewandowski would also have been favourite to win the award last year had it not been scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In his acceptance speech when collecting the award, Messi said Lewandowski deserved a Ballon d'Or of his own for his exploits in 2020.
"Last year, everyone was in agreement to say that [Lewandowski was] the big winner," Messi said. "Hopefully [France Football] give you the Ballon d'Or 2020."
However, Lewandowski appeared unmoved by those comments from Messi and admitted to feeling upset about once again missing out on football's top individual honour.
"I felt sadness," he told Polish channel Kanal Sportowy. "I can't deny it. I can't say I was happy – on the contrary, I have a feeling of sadness.
"To be so close, to compete with Messi, of course I respect how he plays and what he has achieved. The mere fact that I was able to compete with him shows me the level that I was able to reach.
"I'm not that enthusiastic about getting the 2020 award. I would like [Messi's statement] to be a sincere and courteous statement from a great player and not just empty words."
Martinez dreaming big at Euro 2024 as Portugal boss defends Ronaldo inclusion
Roberto Martinez is daring to dream as Portugal prepare to open their Euro 2024 campaign, where ageing star Cristiano Ronaldo has been selected "on merit".
Portugal are the favourites to top Group F in Germany, opening their tournament against Czechia on Tuesday before facing Turkiye and Georgia.
Martinez's side were the only team to win 100 per cent of their games in the qualifying campaign (10/10), while they also scored more goals than any other team (36).
The former Belgium manager has major-tournament pedigree, too, guiding the Red Devils to third place at the 2018 World Cup and quarter-finals at Euro 2020.
Going further on this occasion remains at the forefront of the Spaniard's mind.
"We must believe, we need to dream big," the Portugal head coach said at Monday's pre-match press conference.
"If we don't dream big, then it will be tough. But we also owe it to everyone to play well.
"Tomorrow will be the right time to show that we're ready, that we can meet all the expectations.
"I brought seven shirts, not three. But now we need to put it all out there on the pitch for these first three matches."
Portugal have the likes of Joao Felix, Diogo Jota and Goncalo Ramos to call upon in attack, though a familiar face remains in Ronaldo.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner holds the record for most games (25), most goals (14), joint-most assists on record (six – since 1972) and most editions with at least one goal (five) at the Euros.
Indeed, since 1972, Ronaldo has scored/assisted twice as many goals as any other player at this tournament: 20 in total (14 goals, six assists). Michel Platini is second on 10 (nine goals, one assist).
Ronaldo is also the European player with the most appearances at major tournaments, World Cup and Euros combined (47), therefore his inclusion is hardly a surprise.
"Cristiano is in the national team on merit," Martinez added. "Nobody gets into the national team just by having a name.
"Cristiano scored 51 goals in 50 games [for Al-Nassr last season].
"For us he is a goalscorer, someone who can make that final move, someone who can really stretch defenders, really open spaces.
"Obviously, over the years Cristiano has changed his way of playing slightly, but I can only say that Cristiano is in the national team on merit and the numbers are there to back that up."
Ruben Dias says Ronaldo's influence spans further than his influence on the pitch, however.
"I would say he represents inspiration, he represents that everything is possible, he represents that you can dream and you can achieve it," the Manchester City defender said.
"It's obviously a pleasure to have him with us in this moment of his career. He represents to us that he really wants to win again and he's our captain and obviously we follow him to the end."
Belgium 0-1 Slovakia: VAR twice frustrates Lukaku as Red Devils suffer shock defeat
Romelu Lukaku saw two goals disallowed and Belgium squandered a glut of golden opportunities as Slovakia claimed a surprise 1-0 win in Euro 2024 Group E.
Lukaku twice thought he had restored parity in the second half, only for both goals to be ruled out after VAR checks.
Slovakia led from the seventh minute, with Ivan Schranz having thumped the underdogs into the lead with what was his nation's fastest goal at a major tournament, finishing calmly from a tight angle after Jeremy Doku's error had put Belgium in trouble.
That opener came after Belgium had missed two brilliant chances, with Lukaku not managing to beat Martin Dubravka from close range before Leandro Trossard failed to find the striker in acres of space in the area.
The trend continued after the restart – Lukaku seemed to have levelled when he tapped home from Amadou Onana's knockdown, only for a VAR check to deem he had strayed offside.
Johan Bakayoko had an effort cleared off the line before Lukaku drilled in from Lois Openda's cutback late on, only for the latter to be penalised harshly for handball as the world's third-best side suffered a shock defeat.
Data Debrief: Red Devils run out of Luk
Lukaku missed a glut of chances in the quarter-finals against Spain at Euro 2020, and he was guilty of spurning some fantastic chances, though he was also incredibly unfortunate to see those two goals ruled out.
Belgium mustered 1.9 expected goals, with Lukaku responsible for 0.8 of that, but the Red Devils' luck was out. They sit third in Group E, with Slovakia joining Romania on three points after causing the first big upset of Euro 2024.
It is the first time Belgium have lost since 27 November 2022, against Morocco in the group stage of the World Cup, marking an end to their second-longest unbeaten run ever of 15 matches (W10 D5).
Iordanescu hails 'limitless generation' of Romania players following landmark Ukraine win
Romania head coach Edward Iordanescu believes his current generation of players have limitless potential following their triumph over Ukraine in their Euro 2024 opener.
The 46-year-old watched on as his side claim their biggest win at an international tournament, building on their impressive qualifying campaign.
Captain Nicolae Stanciu opened the scoring with a fine effort from distance, becoming the first player ever to score at the tournament while playing for a Saudi Arabian club.
Razvan Marin and Denis Dragus would secure the triumph in the second half, with both strikes assisted by Dennis Man, the first Romanian to provide multiple assists in a major tournament match since Gheorghe Hagi at the 1994 World Cup.
The sound of the full-time whistle sparked emotional scenes for the travelling Romanian contingent as they confirmed just their second win at the European Championships.
Iordanescu masterminded a landmark victory for his nation, but was quick to dismiss labelling the win as a victory of a lifetime, heaping praise on the current crop of talent within his ranks.
"I'd like to thank every Romanian everywhere in the world. I know that they were with us today. It was a fantastic effort by my team. If you had any doubts, I think you can believe me now that this is a great team. Congratulations to the lads. It's just incredible.
"Since I joined the national team I've had difficult moments. It's not always been easy. We've had other big performances. We've had golden generations with big performances, but this generation represents the soul.
"This team has put the biggest effort into everything. As big a heart as this team, nobody has ever had. This generation is limitless."
Romania travel to Cologone to face Belgium in their penultimate group fixture before facing Slovakia on June 26.
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