Carles Puyol believes it would be a “huge injustice” if Lionel Messi did not win an unprecedented fifth Ballon d’Or on Monday.
Messi, his Barcelona teammate Neymar and Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo are on the shortlist for the biggest individual accolade in world football, which will be handed out at a lavish awards ceremony in Zurich.
Messi is the bookmakers’ favourite to take the award from his great rival Ronaldo, who won his third Ballon d’Or gong last season.
The Argentine was the star performer in Barca’s five-trophy haul in 2015, scoring 48 goals in the calendar year.
And Puyol, who played alongside the 28-year-old for 10 seasons, thinks his former teammate is by far the best in the field.
“You never know what might end up happening, but it would be a surprise and a huge injustice if Messi was not to win the Ballon d’Or,” the former Barcelona captain said.
Messi broke new ground in 2012 when he won the award for a fourth time.
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