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Ronaldo deserves Ballon d'Or over Messi, claims Cahill

While Lionel Messi is the strong favourite to claim the next Ballon d'Or after another stunning season with Barcelona, Tim Cahill has instead backed his rival Cristiano Ronaldo for the award.

Both players are currently locked on a record five Ballon d'Or titles and it is the Argentine that appears on track to pick up his sixth later this year.

Messi scored 36 goals in La Liga this season as Barcelona claimed another league title and he chipped in with a further 12 strikes in the Champions League.

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Though Ronaldo's numbers at Juventus have paled in comparison with the 34-year-old bagging 15 fewer league goals in Serie A, Cahill believes the fact he has been able to transition to another league so successfully deserves recognition in the form of the Ballon d'Or.