Cristiano Ronaldo's sister Katia Aveiro hit back at Virgil van Dijk on Instagram after the defender joked that the Juventus forward wasn't a "rival" for this year's Ballon d'Or.
Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi claimed the coveted individual award for a sixth time in Paris on Monday, with Liverpool centre-back Van Dijk finishing second in the final voting.
Five-time winner Ronaldo did not attend the ceremony, instead choosing to make an appearance at the Gran Gala del Calcio in Milan to collect his ‘Best Player in Serie A’ award.
Van Dijk commented on the 34-year-old's absence during an interview with Dutch broadcaster RTL7 while on the red carpet, joking that he wasn't in the running to win the Ballon d'Or this time around anyway.