PORTUGUESE MANAGER BACKS HIS COMPATRIOT

another Ballon D'or on its way

The Portuguese manager André Villas-Boas, who coaches Zenit, has backed his fellow countryman Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d'Or and praised the way that he has developed in areas such as his behaviour on the pitch.

"Even his body language on the pitch has changed, and that favours him even more, both as a player and a sports personality", he remarked in an interview with the Portuguese website Maisfutebol and the Portuguese television channel TVI.

Villas-Boas, who has managed Académica de Coimbra, Porto, Chelsea and Tottenham, stressed that his opinion is "sincere", because there have been years when he thought that the Barcelona star Leo Messi was a cut above Real Madrid's Ronaldo.

"In the past two years, I've seen a change in attitude in Cristiano Ronaldo; an incredible dedication to his job, an impressive desire to win, even though his value has been questioned because of the quality of his closest rival (Messi)", he went on to say.

The 37-year-old also revealed that there is no bad blood between him and Mourinho. The pair worked together for five years at Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan, and he assured that he would be happy to sit down for a drink with his former mentor.

"If the opportunity arose again, why not? I get asked that question a lot, as if there were some animosity. We spoke recently. There's a mutual respect between us and we haven't forgotten the important moments we experienced", he finished by saying.

Ronaldo knows what it is to be unloved

messi feeling the pressure

Now it is Messi's turn to complain that his club is not backing him in his quest for the Ballon d'Or.

However, in relation to Cristiano Ronaldo, on other occasions it has been the other way round. Not long ago, it was the Portuguese complaining about the little support he was receiving from his club, while Barcelona bent over backward to ensure the Argentine won the Ballon d'Or, promoting the virtues of their star player at every turn.

At the awards ceremony, this imbalance was plain to see. While the Portuguese turned up accompanied by just one director and Emilio Butragueño, Barcelona arrived en masse. Next to Messi stood president Rosell and Pep Guardiola, together with various Barça directors and teammates.

This time round, all is quiet at Can Barça. Nobody is talking about Messi's chances of winning the award. In contrast, Real are constantly looking for people to come out in support of their candidate. There has been a complete about face over the past few years. Once it was Cristiano who felt unloved, now it is Messi's turn.

Pepe: "It would be an embarrassment if Ronaldo didn't win the Ballon d'Or"

friends in support

RESPONSE TO XABI'S SUPPORT FOR NEUER

Pepe thinks that it would be an outrage if Cristiano Ronaldo didn't win the Ballon d'Or. In comments to 'A Bola', the defender said that, "Ronaldo has never been more influential than this year, and for that reason it would be utterly scandalous if the Ballon d'Or didn't go to him".

"If another player wins the Ballon d'Or they should be embarrassed given what Ronaldo has been doing of late, breaking one record after another. Can anyone really say that Ronaldo won't win the trophy?", stated the central defender emphatically, also pointing out that his club and country teammate, "scored 17 goals in the last season's Champions League".

"In just the three months we've had of this season so far, he's scored 23 goals", Pepe went on. "What more does he have to do to be recognised? He already the best player of all time and it would be a scandal and an embarrassment if they didn't give him the Ballon d'Or in a year in which he is so clearly head and shoulders above the rest", he concluded.