Koeman: Messi already has three Ballons d'Or, give Ronaldo one

02-Oct-2012 7:00:00 PM

The Barcelona legend believes that is it high time the prestigious award went to someone other than the Argentine, and considers the Portuguese to be worthy of the accolade

Feyenoord boss Ronald Koeman believes the Ballon d'Or should be finally awarded to Cristiano Ronaldo as Lionel Messi have already won it three times on the trot.

The Barcelona legend acknowledged that the Portuguese has done enough to be crowned as the best player of 2012, highlighting the former Manchester United ace's ability to deliver at crucial moments.

"Who would I give the Ballon d'Or to? How many has Messi got? Three? Then I would give one to Ronaldo," the former Netherlands international said to AS.

"Messi is the best player in the world. However, Cristiano is also a great player like Messi, and he has been making the difference in Madrid."

Koeman took time to discuss the work of Tito Vilanova in his first few months at Barcelona, and he was full of praise for Pep Guardiola's former assistant.

"The results of Tito's Barca side speak for themselves. I think they continue to have a strong team, despite having some injured players. At the moment I think they are very good."

Finally, the retired defender had a word on Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, who he believes can always be relied upon to deliver.

"Mourinho is a very good coach who has succeeded with many teams. Though his style of play is different to that of Barcelona, his teams always get good results."