Lionel Messi Reveals Three Players That Can Compete For The Ballon d'Or

Lionel Messi has picked out three players that he feels can compete with himself and Cristiano Ronaldo for the Ballon d'Or.

In recent years, Messi and Ronaldo have dominated the individual award in recent years, with Kaka's victory in 2007 the last time a player that wasn't Messi or Ronaldo scooped the gong.

A regular talking point when it comes to Ballon d'Or is who can break the established dominance from football's two titans, and Messi has some thoughts on who has the ability to.

Image: PA

He picked his teammate Luis Suarez, former colleague Neymar and PSG's 18-year old sensation Kylian Mbappe, as the three possible contenders.

Suarez has struggled this season and only just rediscovered his goalscoring touch, while Neymar and Mbappe have 20 between them for in-form PSG.

Speaking in an in-depth interview with MARCA, he said:

"There are many great players around today who can win the Ballon d'Or. In recent years there have just been two, but now players like Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Luis Suarez can compete for that award."

Messi and Ronaldo have nine Ballon d'Or gongs between them, but the Argentine is unsure whether they can become friends because of their rivalry.

_{Ronaldo, accompanied with his son, and Messi embrace at the FIFA Best ceremony. Images: PA}

"I don't know if we will be," the 30-year old said.

"Friendship is built through spending time together and getting to know each other. We have no relationship, mainly because we only see each other at awards ceremonies and that's the only time we speak."

Meanwhile, Messi has officially extended his contract with Barcelona until 2021.

Messi's deal was due to expire this summer, and there was hope for some, namely Manchester City fans, that he could be on the move in a crazy free transfer.

But that's not going to happen, as the Argentine has extended his deal with the Blaugrana until 2021. The news has been officially confirmed by Barca on Twitter:

In an official statement on the Barcelona website, the club confirmed that the new four-year deal includes a €700 million (£626 million) and by the time the deal expires, he will have spent 17 glorious years in Catalonia.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Barcelona, PSG, Neymar, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Argentina, Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo

Josh Lawless

Josh is a writer who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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