Terrence Mawawa|Former Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo is “angry” not to have been named UEFA’s Player of the Year on Thursday, according to Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri.

The Portuguese international did not attend the awards ceremony held in Monaco, France where he finished second, behind former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric who won the accolade.

It is not clear whether Ronaldo knew in advance that he would miss out on the award.

“It was his personal decision and like all personal decisions, it is to be respected,” the coach said at a news conference on Friday.

“He was angry yesterday (Thursday) because he won the Champions League scoring 15 goals. This shows that he always wants to be the best.”

Ronaldo picked 223 votes, cast by a selected group of journalists and coaches, while Modric won the award with 313. Mohamed Salah came third with 134 votes. Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, has said it is “ridiculous” that his client did not win the award.