Real Madrid legend believes Sergio Ramos deserves to win Ballon d'Or

What's the story?

Real Madrid legend Luis Figo has claimed that current team captain and defender Sergio Ramos deserves to win the coveted Ballon d'Or for his achievements over the course of his illustrous career.

In case you didn't know...

In the last decade, the prestigious Ballon d'Or has been monopolized by the genius of Barcelona captain Lionel Messi and Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo. Even the most supremely talented players have fallen under the duo's shadow, repeatedly falling short in the race for the award.

This all changed last year when Los Blancos midfielder Luka Modric took home the prize for his role in the club's third consecutive Champions League win and his home country Croatia's FIFA World Cup run.

While Ronaldo finished at second place in the rankings, Messi was controversially ranked behind Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe in fifth place.

The heart of the matter

Figo, who has played for both Barcelona and Real Madrid, highlighted the difficulties of winning such an award as a defender and added that Ramos deserves to win it soon.

Speaking to Marca, he said, "It's clear that Sergio Ramos deserves to win the Ballon d'Or. Being a defender is almost like being a goalkeeper, it's a lot more difficult to win the award, but Cannavaro managed it."

"It depends on the moment, on the year, but for quality alone it's obvious that Ramos should win it," Figo added.

Ramos has not had the best of seasons so far with Real Madrid crashing out of the Champions League and the Copa del Rey in recent weeks. The European champions are also trailing behind in LaLiga, 12 points away from arch rivals Barcelona who are at the summit of the league.

What's next?

As the international break has come to an end, Real Madrid will take on Huesca in LaLiga on Sunday night. Ramos will hope to continue performing at a high level for Madrid in the months and years to come, and maybe one day Figo's words will could come true.