Ibrahimovic does not want to see Messi pick up Ballon d'Or

Dec 2, 2012 12:10:00 PM

The PSG attacker, who was excluded from the finalists' shortlist, will not support his former Barcelona team-mate in the race for the prestigious award

Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has stated that he is against the idea of Lionel Messi winning a fourth consecutive Ballon d'Or trophy.

The Barcelona superstar, who has picked up the coveted award in the last three years, has once again been shortlisted alongside team-mate Andres Iniesta and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ibrahimovic was included in the initial list of 23 players, but did not make the final cut presented by Fifa and France Football earlier this week.

As captain of the Sweden national team, he is eligible to vote, but his recent comments suggest he will not back Messi for an unprecedented fourth crown.

"How many times has he [Messi] already won? Two, three? If the jury wants to be just a little more fair, they must give it to someone else this time," the 31-year-old told TF1's Telefoot programme.

This year's award will be presented on January 7th in Zurich.

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