African superstar Samuel Eto'o has defended former FC Barcelona teammate Xavi Hernández after Cristiano Ronaldo mocked the Spaniard.

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The Spaniard recently suggested that only Real Madrid fans believe Ronaldo is better than Messi, to which the Portuguese responded that Xavi has no place to comment has he never won the FIFA Ballon d'Or.

Eto'o, Xavi's former teammate at the Catalan club, has now jumped to the retired Spain international's defence, saying that the Al-Sadd midfielder should be respected for the career he has had. 

"Had the Ballon d'Or been a fair award, Xavi would have won it five or six times," Eto'o told El Larguero.

"Xavi deserves all the respect in the world."

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Ronaldo has won the prestigious award three times in his career, while Messi has won the Ballon d'Or on five occasions.

Do you think Ronaldo was right to say what he did about Xavi? Let us know in the comments section below.