Diego Maradona backs Cristiano Ronaldo for Ballon d'Or

Former Argentina forward Diego Maradona believes that Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo deserves to win the FIFA Ballon d'Or ahead of Barcelona's Lionel Messi.

Despite backing Messi on a number of occasions previously, Maradona, who is regarded as one of the best players of all time, claims that Ronaldo is deserving of the award this year.

"Messi has been injured a lot this year, Cristiano Ronaldo should win the Ballon d'Or," Maradona told Le Buteur.

Maradona, who managed his national team between 2008 and 2010, played for the likes of Boca Juniors, Barcelona and Napoli during an illustrious career.