Sir Alex Ferguson believes that Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo “deserves” to win the Ballon d'Or ahead of Lionel Messi, Jorginho and N'Golo Kante.
Ronaldo lifted the Coppa Italia and Italian Super Cup with Juventus last season, but Inter Milan beat the Old Lady to the Serie A title.
However, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was in sensational goalscoring form and scooped the Capocannoniere (top scorer award) in Serie A.
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Ronaldo scored 29 times in 33 Serie A appearances last season before leaving Juventus in the summer to complete a blockbuster return to United.
The 36-year-old Portuguese forward was named on France Football’s 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or alongside the likes of Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski.
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And Ferguson, who brought Ronaldo to Old Trafford from Sporting CP in 2003, has backed the United legend to win his sixth Ballon d'Or award.
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According to Marca, the legendary former United manager said: “Cristiano deserves it.
“This year he's broken record after record.”
Ronaldo’s record-breaking 2021 included surpassing Iran legend Ali Daei as the all-time international goalscorer.
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The Portugal captain also scooped the accolade for the leading goalscorer in football history for both club and country after breaking Josef Bican’s goalscoring record.
Ronaldo scored his 10th international hat-trick -- his 58th career hat-trick in total -- against Luxembourg in Portugal’s World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.
Speaking after Portugal’s 5-0 win, the former Juventus star said: “I always promised that I would want more and more.
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“We must never be satisfied, never slack off, and always try and reach the highest we can.”
Ronaldo hasn’t lifted the Ballon d'Or since 2017, with Barcelona legend Messi the outright record holder with six awards to his name.
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Messi is widely tipped to win an unprecedented seventh Ballon d'Or after guiding Argentina to the Copa America title in the summer.
Chelsea star Jorginho is also considered a strong contender for France Football’s coveted award after a trophy-laden season with Chelsea and Italy.
The Ballon d'Or was not awarded in 2020 after France Football cancelled the award due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
France Football will hold the ceremony for the 2021 Ballon d'Or at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on 29th November.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Sir Alex Ferguson, Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Premier League, England, Football