Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez has tipped Cristiano Ronaldo to win this year’s Ballon d’Or award ahead of his former Barca teammates.
In what appears to the 36-year-old extending an olive branch to the Portuguese superstar following a recent public spat between the pair – after Xavi once again reinstated on Cadena Ser his belief that ‘only people in Madrid’ put Ronaldo on the same level as his former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi.
"Cristiano has the numbers to win this year's Ballon d'Or, having won the Champions League and the Euros [with Real Madrid and Portugal]," he said at the ASPIRE4SPORT Congress & Exhibition in Amsterdam.
"But I also think that it'll be very competitive, because Messi will be there, of course."
Xavi ended his 18-year spell in Catalonia last summer as he joined Qatari outfit Al Sadd.
In August, Ronaldo was named UEFA Best Player in Europe ahead of Madrid teammate Gareth Bale and Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann.
