Real Madrid great Roberto Carlos has tipped Cristiano Ronaldo top pip Barcelona‘s Lionel Messi to the Ballon d’Or this year.
The two forwards have traded the greatest individual honour in the game for many years, with one of the pair having won the crown every year since AC Milan’s Kaka received the honour in 2007.
Ronaldo and Messi had each won one apiece until 2010, when the Argentine superstar won the honour three times in a row.
CR7 then won the prize twice—in 2013 and 2014—but Messi clinched the prize last year after playing a key role in Barcelona’s Champions League success.
However, speaking to the media after the Corazon Classic Match at the Bernabeu on Saturday—in quotes as relayed by Goal Spain—former Brazil left-back Roberto Carlos has insisted that Ronaldo is a dead cert for this year’s award, regardless of Portugal’s fortunes at the European Championships.
“Cristiano Ronaldo will win the Ballon D’Or, even if he doesn’t win the Euros,” the ex-Merengues star began.
“Messi is a good player, but winning the Champions League counts for a lot,” he added.
“The best player in the world decided the competition. I think he’ll be the best in the world again.”
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While Ronaldo arguably underperformed in the UCL final—despite scoring the winning penalty—the forward was the tournament’s outstanding individual.
He bagged 16 goals throughout the campaign, only one short of his tally of 17 in the 2013-14 season—a haul which remains the best ever for an individual in a single UCL season.