Franck Ribery: 'Cristiano Ronaldo and I both deserve Ballon d'Or'

Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery believes that both he and Cristiano Ronaldo would be deserving recipients of the Ballon d'Or award.

The duo are considered among the frontrunners for the game's most coveted individual prize, with Ronaldo hitting 66 goals in the calendar year, while the Frenchman played a pivotal role in helping the Bavarians to an unprecedented treble last season.

Four-time recipient of the award Lionel Messi is also in the reckoning, but Ribery claims that he and the Real Madrid ace are the two outstanding candidates for the gong.

The France international told Kicker: "We all know that Cristiano Ronaldo is a super footballer. Naturally, he deserves to win it too.

"However, it's a vote based on a whole year and I also have a case for it. People will make the right choice. I'm quite relaxed."

The winner of the award will be announced at a FIFA ceremony in Zurich in January.