Cristiano Ronaldo s decision to leave Real Madrid for Juventus should be appreciated , Andre Villas-Boas said as the Marseille coach backed the star to win the Ballon d Or.
Barcelona star Lionel Messi is tipped to win the award for a record sixth time in Paris on Monday.
Ronaldo is also a five-time winner of the prize, but has not been as prolific since joining Juve from Madrid in 2018.
However, Villas-Boas backed his fellow Portuguese, although he labelled both Ronaldo and Messi as extraterrestrials.
It s difficult I am Portuguese so of course I support Ronaldo more, he said.
Cristiano took a risk by leaving the best team in the world, with more titles in the world. That kind of risk should be appreciated. Playing in Italy and scoring goals is difficult.
I m back
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano)
Messi is still in his club, Barcelona, which is a big club. He is able to make the difference.
But I am more for Cristiano because I m Portuguese. Both of them are exceptional, it s difficult to choose. It [Ballon d Or] will become a competition between them.
Having these two players in the same generation and watching them is absolutely incredible. They are extraterrestrials.
