Legendary Brazilian former striker, Ronaldo Nazario, has backed Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d’Or ahead of Argentina captain, Lionel Messi. The Portugal captain won the Euro 2016 and the Champions League with Real Madrid and it is for this reason that the former Inter forward believes that he should win the Ballon d'Or.
"It is difficult for me to choose one or the other because I don't like to be unfair to either Messi or Ronaldo," he said. "But if I have to choose this year, for the trophies won, I believe Cristiano deserves it more."
Compared to other seasons, the former Manchester United winger hasn’t done well with only 7 goals from 12 appearances thus far. However, the Brazilian phenomenon doesn’t believe that the Portuguese is going through a rough time.
"I don't believe [Cristiano] is going through a bad time," Ronaldo said. "His numbers remain impressive, only equalled by Messi and a few more. Maybe he has dropped a tiny bit in some moments, but he is still a leader and still scoring goals. It is for him to retire in a Blancos shirt and then remain working for the club."
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo’s legendary compatriot, Luis Figo, has seconded El Fenomeno by claiming that the Portugal number 7 will win the prestigious individual honour. Speaking to El Partidazo, he said: "Cristiano is going to win the Ballon d'Or. I believe there is no doubt about that. It is normal.”
The former Real Madrid and Barcelona midfielder furthered backed his former team-mate, claiming that the standard he has set is so high that his critics always lash out on him whenever he fails to score in a game.
"Cristiano is always good. What happens is that you cannot always score three goals each game," he said. "I think he is in good form. If you analyse his performance by goals, or by his play, I don't know, but Cristiano is a fundamental player. What happens is that if he does not score one, two or three goals, it seems he is playing badly."
Finally, Luis Figo concluded the interview by saying that he doesn’t think his compatriot is anxious since there is no reason for a player of is skillset to feel that way.
"I don't believe Cristiano is anxious," he said. "A forward will always have streaks, but a player with Cristiano's quality has no reason to get nervous."
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