"Can win the Ballon d'Or in next few years" – Cristiano Ronaldo names 4 players who are favorites for award in coming years

Portugal captain and Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has backed four current players to win the famed Ballon d'Or award in the future.

Earlier this month, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star was left out of the 30-man Ballon d'Or shortlist for the second straight time. He last won France Football's prestigious honour in 2017 and was named second in the final rankings in 2018 and third in 2019.

With a first-time winner guaranteed at the award ceremony in Paris on October 28, Ronaldo shared his thoughts on potential future Ballon d'Or winners. He stated on his YouTube channel UR Cristiano:

"Kylian Mbappe can win the Ballon d'Or in next few years, probably [Erling] Haaland [and Jude] Bellingham as well."

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand also pitched in and opined:

"Vinicius Junior."

Ronaldo, who is a five-time Ballon d'Or award winner, continued:

"Also Lamine Yamal."

Last year, Erling Haaland finished second in the Ballon d'Or rankings behind Lionel Messi. Kylian Mbappe, on the other hand, finished third.

However, neither the Manchester City star nor the Real Madrid ace are considered to be the front-runners to lift the much-coveted award later this year. Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior have been tipped to finish in the top-three of the final rankings, while Manchester City's Rodri is also regarded as a real contender this year.

Cristiano Ronaldo backed to net 1000 goals

Last week, Cristiano Ronaldo netted his 900th career goal in Portugal's 2-1 UEFA Nations League Group A triumph against Croatia in Lisbon.

Speaking to betting outlet Betfred, former Manchester United star Louis Saha backed the 39-year-old to score 1000 goals. He said (h/t GOAL):

"I could wish for him to score 1000 goals or even 1100 goals because Cristiano deserves all the respect and everyone that follows the sport should want this guy to fulfil his dreams because for kids wanting to be athletes, he's the biggest inspiration you can have. 900 goals is a massive achievement already and what he's done is unbelievable."

Saha, who is a two-time Premier League champion, concluded:

"I wish the best for Cristiano. He has a vision and he's an inspiration for any kid. You need to understand, if you score 300 goals in your career then that means you're a top, top goalscorer, so for him to hit 900 is unbelievable. To Cristiano, 900 goals means a lot and every time he scores goals, it’s like he's won the World Cup."

So far, Ronaldo has found the back of the opposition net 901 times and registered 285 assists in 1237 overall outings at club and country level.