Xavi: Ronaldo, not Messi, is Ballon d'Or favourite

Xavi Hernandez said several things the other day about Cristiano Ronaldo that he probably didn't like.

First he backed his former team-mate Lionel Messi and said he's the best footballer ever but that's not all. A few days later he declared only Real Madrid fans believe Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player.

Now the 36-year-old said finally something in favour of the Portuguese. He stated Ronaldo could claim the Ballon d'Or, as he's the favourite.

The Spaniard told 'Aspire5Sports': "Cristiano has the numbers to win this year's Ballon d'Or, having won the Champions League and the Euros. But I also think that it'll be very competitive, because Messi will be there, of course".

Furthermore he talked about Barca's 4-3 defeat against Celta Cigo on Sunday: "I wasn't able to watch the game, but it looks like there were a lot of individual mistakes," he said. "But Barca are on another level and that's something you see most of all when you leave the club.

"With Luis Enrique, they're working very well, but sometimes the result is misleading based on what you see on the pitch," he said.