Football
ESPN staff 7y

Neymar backs Lionel Messi ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo for Ballon d'Or

Neymar has backed Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi to bag his sixth Ballon d'Or award ahead of Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo is the frontrunner to win this year's Ballon d'Or, which will be announced next week, after a stellar year that saw him help Portugal win the Euro 2016 title along with the Champions League crown at Madrid.

With 51 goals in all competitions, Ronaldo looks likely to scoop the award but Neymar reckons his Argentine teammate deserves it more.

"I don't know who will win, [but] for me there is only one who's the best [and] that's Messi," Neymar told GOL.

"Ronaldo is a great player, he's world class and has been for many years and I respect him.

"But Messi is the one who deserves it for me."

With 20 goals in all competitions for Barcelona, it remains to be seen if Messi has done enough to claim the coveted trophy for a sixth time.

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