Gianluigi Buffon: 'I voted for Andrea Pirlo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi'

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has revealed that he voted for Andrea Pirlo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as his picks for the Ballon d'Or.

Ronaldo scooped the prize on Monday evening after fending off competition from Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery and Barcelona's Messi, and the Juve keeper stated why he chose the trio.

Buffon told Italia 1: "I voted for Pirlo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi. Pirlo because he is the best in his role, Ronaldo because he was the best in 2013 and Messi because he is the best of all time.

"In the future I could vote for Paul Pogba. He is one of those players that leaves you open-mouthed.

"Myself and my teammates, even in the third or fourth training session with him when he was still a stranger, wondered if they can see well in Manchester."

Ronaldo picked up the award in its Ballon d'Or guise for the first time after edging out four-time winner Messi.