Report claims Cristiano Ronaldo winning 5 Ballon d'Or awards is a disservice to Lionel Messi
- Lionel Messi became a strong contender for the Ballon d'Or award this year after winning the Copa America title
- The Argentine will battle a few other football stars for the prestigious prize at the end of the year
- Spanish news media Marca claims the attacker deserves to win the title as long as he is still playing
PAY ATTENTION: Join Legit.ng Telegram channel! Never miss important updates!
Barcelona legend Lionel Messi has been tipped to win this year's Ballon d'Or award following his Copa America triumph.
The 34-year-old scored four goals and assisted five others as La Albiceleste claim their first silverware in over 25 years.
However, having already won six Ballon d'Or awards earlier in his career, Madrid-based news outlet Marca claims the Argentine deserves the prestigious prize for as long as he is still playing.
Source: Getty Images
The publication further stated that the 34-year-old could be regarded as the 'greatest of all time' regardless of whoever he comes up against as reported by a football website 90mins.
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed!
What the news outlet said
“Forget everything else, the Ballon d’Or is Messi’s. As long as Messi plays at the top, there is no footballer out there who should win the Ballon d’Or. Messi is the greatest footballer of his generation, and probably also of all time.”
Messi's arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo has won the award five times but the Spanish news outlet believes that is a disrespect to the Argentine who they refer to as the greatest of his generation.
About Cristiano Ronaldo
“That Cristiano Ronaldo – with five – is even within touching distance of Messi’s six so far does a disservice to the Argentine, who has been far and away the greatest player of his generation and arguably of all time.”
The Barcelona captain will be up against some fine football stars including Chelsea midfielder Jorginho who also merit the award but votes will justify the winner in the end.
The attacker scored 39 goals and registered 14 assists in all competitions for the Catalans last season despite their failure to land the Spanish League title.
Zola backs Jorginho for Ballon d'Or award
Legit.ng earlier reported that former Chelsea forward Gianfranco Zola believes Jorginho deserves to win this year's Ballon d'Or award ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The midfielder is among the contenders for the award, owing to his incredible display for the Blues in their Champions League triumph over Man City and the European Championship glory with Italy.
He played a central role in the Premier League outfit's squad that beat rivals Man City to storm to European glory.
Source: Legit.ng
