Inter Milan legend, Javier Zanetti has named Paris Saint-Germain’s Lionel Messi as the player who should win the Ballon d’ Or this year.
Zanetti believes his fellow compatriot, Messi has to win the Ballon d’ Or this year because he is still a different player from the rest.
Messi, who led Argentina to win the Copa America this year, was recently nominated among a 30-man shortlist to win the Ballon d’ Or this year.
The former Barcelona captain has already won the Ballon d’ Or for a record six times in the past.
Speaking with Olé, Zanetti said: “For me, Messi has to win the Ballon d’Or because he is still a different player from the rest, always decisive and unbalanced. We are talking about the essence of football.
“His numbers are impressive since he started playing football, be it in Europe and the Argentine National Team. And now, after so long, as captain and as a leader, he managed to win the Copa América and make a whole country happy. For all that, for me, he deserves to be chosen again with the Ballon d’Or.”
Messi will have to battle Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, Chelsea’s Jorginho, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema, Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo and among others for the prestigious prize.