Former FC Barcelona captain Xavi Hernandez has revealed who his favourite for the next FIFA Ballon d'Or title is, and, surprisingly, it's not his former teammate Lionel Messi.
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The 36-year-old, who lifted 25 trophies during his time at the Camp Nou, believes Messi's longstanding rival Cristiano Ronaldo could be ahead of the Argentine this year.
"Cristiano has the numbers to win this year's Ballon d'Or, having won the Champions League and the Euros," Xavi told the audience at an ASPIRE4SPORTS event in Amsterdam.
"But I also think that it'll be very competitive, because Messi will be there, of course."
The Catalan giants have dropped eight points this season after winning only four of their first seven La Liga matches, with the latest defeat coming at the hands of Celta Vigo. However, Xavi insisted his former club will soon get back to winning ways.
"I wasn't able to watch the game, but it looks like there were a lot of individual mistakes," he added.
"But Barca are on another level and that's something you see most of all when you leave the club.
"The idea is a good one: to be dominant and to have the ball. They also have the best in every position and I'm proud to watch them play.
"With Luis Enrique, they're working very well, but sometimes the result is misleading based on what you see on the pitch."
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Note: FIFA and France Football recently decided to end their partnership around the FIFA Ballon d'Or award, which means that there will be a FIFA World Player of the Year as well as a Ballon d'Or winner this year.
Who do you think will win the Ballon d'Or this year? Have your say in the comments section below.
