Former Brazil and Real Madrid defender Roberto Carlos has said Cristiano Ronaldo has already done enough to win the 2016 Ballon D’Or.
He thinks the outcome of the upcoming Euro 2016 tournament will not have an effect on the next winner of the coveted prize, with Ronaldo’s Champions League victory holding more weight.
“Cristiano Ronaldo will win the Ballon D’Or, even if he doesn’t win the Euros,” he told Goal yesterday after playing in the Corazon Classic Match at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu.
Ronaldo ended the season as the top scorer of the 2015/2016 Champions League with 16 goals, at least seven more than any other player. His tally of 35 goals in last season’s La Liga was second only to Barcelona’s Luis Suarez (40).
“Messi is a good player, but winning the Champions League counts for a lot,” Carlos said. “The best player in the world decided the competition. I think he’ll be the best in the world again.”
Ronaldo has already won the Ballon D’Or three times, with his most recent success coming in 2014. Only Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, who added his fifth award last year, has won it more times. Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten have also won the award three times.
The Portuguese will be looking to steer his country to success at the European Championships in France this summer, while Lionel Messi will be captaining Argentina in the Copa America – though neither tournament will impact the outcome of the Ballon d’Or race according to Carlos.
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