Former Real Madrid defender Michel Salgado has given his vote to Cristiano Ronaldo to lift the upcoming FIFA Ballon d’Or award. The Portuguese superstar is in the running to lift the award for a second consecutive time, but he faces stiff competition from Germany internationals like Thomas Müller and Manuel Neuer.

This is primarily because of Germany’s success at the World Cup 2014 and it has led to calls from several top ranking officials like Michel Platini and Sepp Blatter to ensure that a German won this award. Despite the tough nature of this year’s competition, Salgado expects Ronaldo to lift the title.

TheBallon d’Or award is given to the best player on the planet andSalgado believes that Ronaldo has proven in the 2014 calendar year – primarily through his goals – that there have been none better than him.Salgado knows all about playing with the best players in the world, as he has done so with four otherBallon d’Or award winners.

The likes of Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Fabio Cannavaro, and Zinedine Zidane were all the teammates of Salgado at Madrid. Despite being a defender, Salgado is still regarded as one of the club legends even today.

Manuel Neuer could become the first goalkeeper to win the award should he be crowned after reinventing the position at the World Cup.“It’s a very important trophy for the players, who can’t wait to find out the result. It’s going to be tight, as it always is. There are three players in the running, but I think Cristiano Ronaldo has been the best of them. He’s worked so hard over the last two years and his statistics are just incredible. I think he’s going to win the Ballon d’Or for the second year running and he deserves to do so. If I had a vote, he’s the one I’d choose,” said Salgado.