Cristiano Ronaldo might wear the crown as the best soccer player in the world, but his Ballon d’Or means little to the denizens at the Vicente Calderon Stadium.

Ronaldo had a hilariously unpleasant exchange with one of Atletico Madrid’s ball boys during last Sunday’s Madrid derby. It highlighted the animosity that exists between the Spanish capital’s two biggest clubs.

With Real Madrid trailing 2-1 (thanks to Gabi’s sensational long-range strike) in the 71st minute, Ronaldo wanted the ball boy to hurry up and give him the ball so he could throw it back into play. The ball boy wasn’t interested in obliging the Portuguese superstar.

Ronaldo waited. Then he ran toward the ball boy in order to get the ball himself. Just before Ronaldo arrived, the ball boy tossed it away in a heroic display of disgust (at least, in the eyes of the Atletico Madrid fans).

However, Ronaldo had the last laugh, as he scored the game-tying goal in the 82nd minute.

Ronaldo had every right to be angry at the petulant ball boy, but we have to give him credit for not getting medieval on his teenage adversary like Eden Hazard might have done.

See Ronaldo’s run-in with the Atletico Madrid ballboy below.

Have a soccer question? Send it to us via Twitter at @NESNsoccer, NESN Soccer’s Facebook page or send it here.