Real Madrid denied Cristiano Ronaldo a sixth Ballon d'Or last year because he no longer played for the La Liga club, according to Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini.
Ronaldo, who moved to Juve from Real in the 2018 summer transfer window, finished as the runner-up in last year's ceremony to his former Blancos team-mate Luka Modric.
This year's Ballon d'Or was won by Lionel Messi, who lifted the trophy for the sixth time to go one ahead of Ronaldo's five titles, with the Portuguese star opting to skip the ceremony in Paris to instead pick up Serie A player of the year at the Gran Gala awards.