Cristiano Ronaldo is the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or award this year. However, Barcelona legend Ronaldinho is backing his former team-mate Lionel Messi to win the game’s top individual prize this year.
Speaking to AS, Ronaldinho said, “All the players have done a brilliant job, it is tough to choose. Okay, I will be honest with you, I am backing Messi!”
“I am delighted to see him happy; if he made the decision to come back to Argentina and he is happy so am I, because I am his friend,” Ronaldinho added.
However, Ronaldinho said Messi and Ronaldo still have some way to go before they are considered the greatest of all time. The 2004 World Player of the Year insisted that the pair of Ronaldo and Messi were well behind Pele and Maradona.
“In the history of football I only look at Maradona and Pele, both are world football greats,” he said.
Ronaldo has received backing from a number of players this year, like Antoine Griezmaan and even Neymar. But Messi has his own supporters, with many expecting him to claim his 6th Ballon d’Or award this year.
Antoine Griezmann feels he is yet to reach the level of Ronaldo and Messi
Atletico Madrid midfielder Antoine Griezmann thinks he is still developing and has not reached the level of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi yet. The 25-year-old Frenchman had a stunning season, scoring 36 goals in La Liga and finishing as the Golden boot winner in Euro 2016.
However, despite being compared with the two best footballers of this generation, Griezmann thinks he needs to win more trophies in order to be considered being on the same level with the Real Madrid and Barcelona attackers.
"I think I still have more to do to be their equal, starting with winning titles," Griezmann told L’Equipe. He also revealed that he believes the foundation of Ronaldo's and Messi’s career success is solely based on their trophy count.
"They've won them and they keep winning them. But as I've said in the past, I want to sit at their table. And I think I'm getting there, bit by bit. I hope to stay there as long as possible,” Griezmann added.
