Barcelona forward Lionel Messi admitted he would rather win a single FIFA World Cup than five Ballon d'Or awards when speaking to reporters during a press event ahead of the ceremony with team-mate Neymar and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.
Sky Sports' Guillem Balague shared the comments, which came in response to a question from a fan:
Messi: 5 ballon d'ors or one World Cup? Wow, what a question. I prefer one World Cup, the ultimate trophy for any player
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) January 11, 2016
Messi is the favourite to win his fifth Ballon d'Or trophy on Wednesday, but he's still waiting for his first World Cup win with Argentina, and his lack of international success has been a point of criticism throughout his career.