Ramos Endorses Messi For Ballon D’Or
Lionel Messi has been backed by his Paris Saint Germain teammate Sergio Ramos to win this year’s Ballon d’or, which will be presented by France Football at Paris’ Theatre du Chatelet on Monday.
Messi is one of the favourites to pick football’s most prestigious individual honour for a record-extending seventh time in his career but will face stiff competition from the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Jorginho, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
The 34-year-old, who joined PSG on a free transfer in the summer, won the Copa del Rey with Barcelona last season and was top scorer in the Spanish top flight, while he finally ended his international trophy hoodoo by captaining Argentina to Copa America triumph.
Like Messi, Ramos joined PSG this summer. The 2010 World Cup winner has often backed former Real Madrid teammate Ronaldo when it comes to the Ballon d’or but with Messi on his side now, Ramos is singing a different tune.
"Yes, of course [I hope he wins]," Spain international defender Ramos told ESPN.
"I'm going to defend the guys in my team. I wish him all the luck in the world.
"He's in good shape, and I think he's the kind of player who really makes a difference. He's a unique player and it's a privilege to have him in the team.
"I think that bit by bit, each of us is going to bring our own quality to make Paris Saint-Germain even greater and achieve the things we want to achieve."
Ramos finally made his PSG debut in a 3-1 win over Saint Etienne in Ligue 1 on Sunday, where Messi provided all the assists for their goals.
