- Cristiano Ronaldo has named four players who could win the Ballon d’Or
- The Portuguese superstar won the award five times during his career.
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Cristiano Ronaldo has won five Ballon d’Ors during his illustrious career and has given his opinion on who he thinks will win the coveted award in the coming years.
Ronaldo has won football’s top individual award four times in Real Madrid’s famous white shirt and believes his new superstar signing has a strong chance of following in his footsteps.
Ronaldo, speaking during the second part of his interview with Rio Ferdinand on his new YouTube channel, said: ‘I think he (Mbappe) will do well.
“The structure of the club… is nice, it’s good,” Ronaldo added. “They have a great coach and a president, Florentino (Perez), who has been there for many years.
‘I think it won’t be a big problem because of his talent. Mbappé can be the next Ballon d’Or in the next few years. Him, (Erling) Haaland, (Jude) Bellingham, Lamine (Yamal). This new generation has a lot of potential.
‘Madrid is a team that doesn’t rush when it’s under pressure. People say it’s lucky in the Champions League. No, it’s not. It’s prepared for these kinds of moments. The Bernabéu has a different aura.
“Now, if you say that Madrid is going to be better or not, we don’t know. Mbappé is there now, I think Madrid will continue to be strong, but I don’t know if it will be better than last year. Only God knows.”
Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr is the favourite to win this year’s Ballon d’Or, followed by Manchester City midfielder Rodri.
Jude Bellingham had led the race at the start of the year but has dropped back after a series of ineffective performances at the European Championships.
Neither Mbappé nor Haaland have won the Ballon d’Or, despite being the two biggest stars of modern football.