CRISTIANO RONALDO will win the Ballon d'Or ahead of deadly rival Lionel Messi, according to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.
The mercurial Poruguese forward bagged The Best FIFA Men's Player award for the second time last month.
And Perez insists he will add a fifth Ballon d'Or to his massive trophy collection.
"Ronaldo is one of our great symbols.
"He is the leading goalscorer in our history. A few days ago, he won his second 'The Best' and this week he is going to win his fifth Ballon d'Or."
Intrigue surrounds the situation, though. There had been rumours Barcelona forward Messi will be named the winner on December 7 after photos claiming to show him with the trophy on the front cover of organisers France Football circulated on social media.
But reports in Spain this weekend suggest Ronaldo has been told he will win the trophy for a fifth time and has already been congratulated by Messi on his achievement. Ronaldo has actually struggled for form in La Liga this season, scoring just twice in nine appearances.
The 32-year-old was frustrated again on Saturday as the champions were held to a 0-0 draw away to Athletic Bilbao. That meant Madrid failed to capitalise on Barcelona's 2-2 home draw with Celta Vigoand means they remain eight points behind the leaders in fourth place in the table.
But Perez insists head coach Zinedine Zidane is the right man to deliver more success to the club. Zidane has guided them to two Champions League wins in a row as well as the domestic title last season. Said Perez: "We achieved the impossible, regaining the Champions League and winning three in four years. The last one was the best in our history.
"We have a team to keep dreaming, with an amazing coach. He is one of our great symbols and icons.
"He's the best leader for this team."
From The Sun
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