Ronaldo backs rival Messi to win Ballon D’Or

Current FIFA Ballon d’Or holder Cristiano Ronaldo has backed Barcelona rival Lionel Messi to take home the prestigious award in January. 

Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or for the third time last year but he has predicted that Messi, after a treble-winning season for Barcelona, will claim his fifth when the pair go head to head in Zurich this January.

“To be honest I think Messi is going to win this year because this kind of trophy, it depends on votes,” he said on an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show. “He won the Champions League and La Liga.”