Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk was at the receiving end after he said that five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo was not his competition, at the award ceremony, on Monday.
As his reaction drew heavy criticism from around the world, Ronaldo's sister Katia Aveiro too joined in.
Further, it was her post on Instagram that just ripped apart van Dijk.
Here is how.
Ballon d'Or
Ronaldo finishes third as Messi wins 2019 award
Lionel Messi won the 2019 Ballon d'Or for the record sixth time. Second to him was van Dijk, while Ronaldo finished on the third spot.
Notably, Ronaldo gave the ceremony a miss. And, at the event, when a journalist asked the Liverpool defender if Ronaldo's absence meant that he had one less rival, he cheekily responded, "Was he a rival?"
This statement backfired completely.
Leg pulling
Katia pulls van Dijk's leg
Katia started off by pulling van Dijk's leg for playing in England and reminded him that her brother was a three-time champion there, while the former is yet to lay his hand on the title despite playing for years.
"Ronaldo was even the best player and best scorer in the country where you play. He was even younger than you," she wrote.
Quote
Katia reminded van Dijk of Liverpool's defeat to Madrid
"He was at Real Madrid. Does that tell you anything? Because this club, with this Cristiano, even beat you in the Champions League final. And yeah, of these Ballons d'Or, Ronaldo already has five," Katia added.
Win and talk
Katia asks van Dijk to win titles and then talk
Katia further said that Ronaldo has won more titles than him even during his least successful period, besides asking him to win titles, following which they could talk.
"When you have some, I mean the important ones, you might be able to sit at the table with Cristiano. Or, as they say in our land, it grows and appears!" she concluded.
Instagram Post
Katia explains van Dijk why Ronaldo has five Ballon d'Ors
