Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo was a deserving winner of the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or.
The Real Madrid forward picked up the prestigious award last month after fending off competition from Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery and Barcelona's four-time recipient Lionel Messi.
Hamann told The Telegraph: "I feel Ronaldo deserved to win it this year. Messi had a few injuries. Ribery has been the most successful but Messi and Ronaldo are in a different league to anyone else. If you make a case for Ribery, you could make a case for other Bayern Munich players like Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Javi Martinez.
"Look at Ronaldo in the World Cup play-offs: four goals against Sweden. As a manager, I'd rather have Ronaldo than Messi. He never misses a game. He scores all sorts of goals: headers, shots, free kicks.
"As a player, I'd rather have Messi as a teammate because he's a bit more humble than Ronaldo. Ronaldo is a very dominant player. He lets everybody know. He's the best at the moment."
Ronaldo has scored 34 goals this term.
Paul Gorst
