"Yes, I wish him all the luck in the world" - Sergio Ramos responds to question about whether he wants 'unique' Lionel Messi to win this year's Ballon d'Or

Sergio Ramos has tipped his PSG teammate Lionel Messi to win the 2021 Ballon d'Or award following his brilliant year with club and country. The winner of the accolade will be announced today by France Football at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.

Messi won the Copa Del Rey and a record-extending eighth Pichichi award earlier in the year. He then starred with four goals and five assists in Argentina's triumphant Copa America 2021 campaign.

Former Real Madrid captain Ramos has thrown his support behind the Argentine in the race for the prestigious award. The Spaniard made the revelation after playing alongside the former Barcelona maestro for the first time in PSG's Ligue 1 clash with Nantes last weekend.

"Yes, of course," Sergio Ramos replied when asked if he wants Lionel Messi to win the Ballon d'Or award this year.

The centre-back explained why he is throwing his support behind the attacker and it's not surprising.

"I'm going to defend the guys in my team," the 35-year-old was quoted as saying. "I wish him all the luck in the world," Ramos added.

Following his slow start to life at PSG, Messi has raised his level of performance in the last few games. The Argentine has recorded three goals and four assists in his last six games for the Parisians across competitions.

Sergio Ramos has said that it's a privilege to have the former Barcelona maestro at the Parc des Princes. He also tipped him and the rest of the group to bring more to the team as the season progresses.

"He's in good shape, and I think he's the kind of player who really makes a difference," the Spaniard said of Messi.

"He's a unique player, and it's a privilege to have him in the team. I think that bit by bit, each of us is going to bring our own quality to make Paris Saint-Germain even greater and achieve the things we want to achieve," Ramos concluded.

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Lionel Messi all set to win seventh Ballon d'Or award

Lionel Messi is expected to be named the best player in the world for the seventh time in his career at the Ballon d'Or gala tonight. Multiple sources have, over the last few days, reported that the Argentine player would win the race for the accolade.

Messi has had one of the brightest outings of his career this year, finally leading La Albiceleste to the Copa America title following several near misses. He also won the Copa del Rey title with Barcelona last season, concluding the campaign with an impressive 38 goals and 14 assists across all competitions.

Considering the same, the PSG attacker is all set to win a record-extending seventh Ballon d'Or award tonight.