Marseille coach Andre Villas-Boas has backed Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo to win Ballon d'Or despite agreeing that both Lionel Messi and the Juventus star are exceptional.
"It's difficult... I am Portuguese so of course, I support Ronaldo more. Cristiano took a risk by leaving the best team in the world, with more titles in the world. That kind of risk should be appreciated. Playing in Italy and scoring goals is difficult," Goal.com quoted Villas-Boas as saying.
"Messi is still in his club, Barcelona, which is a big club. He is able to make a difference. But I am more for Cristiano because I'm Portuguese. Both of them are exceptional, it's difficult to choose. It [Ballon d'Or] will become a competition between them," he added.
Earlier this year, Messi was awarded the Best Men's Player by FIFA. Apart from Messi and Ronaldo, Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk is also among the top contenders for the prestigious award.
Villas-Boas then even went on to call both Messi and Ronaldo 'extraterrestrials'.
"Having these two players in the same generation and watching them is absolutely incredible. They are extraterrestrials," he said.
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