The Argentina superstar is in the running to win the prestigious award again, having won it on six occasions previously
African legend Samuel Eto’o said he is backing Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi to win the 2021 Ballon d’Or.
Messi is among the 30 players vying for the global gong this year after he scored 38 goals in 47 appearances for Barcelona last season, and he also powered Argentina to win this year’s Copa America in Brazil with his contribution of four goals in seven matches.
Having played together at Camp Nou for five years, Eto’o described the 34-year-old as the best player in the world and he also suggested Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema as an option if Messi is removed from the equation.
“[I’d] always [give it to Lionel] Messi, who is like a little brother to me,” Eto’o told Marca. “I appreciate him very much as a person and as a player. I watched him grow up and I have a special love for him.
“For me he is still the best in the world. If we remove Leo, there are others that I like, like [Karim] Benzema. He is a player that I love. Cristiano [Ronaldo] left [Real Madrid] and [Benzema] carried the team on his shoulders.”
Eto’o went on to hail his former manager Jose Mourinho and he believes the Portuguese manager can lead Roma to end their long wait for silverware.
Before Mourinho’s appointment in May 2021, the Yellow and Reds finished seventh in Serie A last season and their last trophy was the Coppa Italia in the 2007-08 season.
The four-time African Footballer of the Year added: “Jose is a phenomenon, the only one I see capable of making Roma champion of Italy again after so long without winning [Serie A].”
Eto’o, who enjoyed Champions League success at both Inter Milan and Barcelona during his playing career, found it difficult to pick a favourite between the two clubs.
“It is the same love: mum and dad. I can’t choose,” he said. “I came to Barcelona thanks to Joan Laporta. I went there because he insisted on bringing me in.
“And then, at Inter, I met a kind of God, which is [former president] Massimo Moratti. An incredible, loving man. And I did well at both [teams].”
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