UEFA President Michel Platini believes the Ballon d’Or should not go to either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi this year.
In an interview with BeIN Sports, the Frenchman offered his opinion that the award ought to be won by a member of the Germany side that won the World Cup in Brazil this summer.
“The Ballon d’Or usually goes to a player who has performed exceptionally well at the World Cup, someone who won it, so this year that should be a German player.
“It was always that way until 2010 when Lionel Messi won it despite having had a fairly average World Cup, so nothing is for certain.
Platini won the Ballon d’Or three times as a player before it was opened up to include players from around the globe rather than just Europeans or those playing in Europe.
However, he did concede that at the moment there is nobody to match Messi and Ronaldo.
“What is certain is that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are two of the best players in the world, nobody can argue with that,” he admitted.
The Ballon d’Or is given to the world’s best player as voted for by coaches and captains of international teams as well as journalists worldwide.
