Overview
- Ronaldo said Spain “won easily” in the World Cup final and called the match an “authentic thrashing,” comments he made on his digital platforms after appearing in the final’s halftime show.
- He credited Spain’s victory to a patient, possession‑based collective style linked to Pep Guardiola’s tactics, describing the team’s approach as a modern, strategic version of tiki‑taka.
- Ronaldo acknowledged Argentina’s courage and Lionel Messi’s strong tournament numbers but argued Argentina lacked the collective technical level to match Spain in the final.
- He argued the World Cup carries heavy weight for Ballon d'Or voting and publicly predicted Rodrigo ‘Rodri’ Hernández would win because of his leadership for Spain’s title.
- Independent coverage and analysis caution that the World Cup reshuffled candidates rather than producing a clear favorite, with France Football’s October vote by 100 journalists still likely to decide the award.