Ballon d'Or: All current and former players who have picked Lionel Messi as winner

The race for this year's Ballon d'Or seems tighter than ever, with no outright winner and as many as 30 players in the race. Several pundits, legends and players have their own favourites to win the league, however, Lionel Messi is still a fan favourite to win the Ballon d'Or award for an unprecedented seventh time.

While the fate has already been sealed as the voting has closed, the winner, however, will be announced only on the 29th of November. But the eagerness of football fans continues to grow, so with that let's see who some of the former and current players that have picked Lionel Messi are and what they have to say.

Luis Suarez

Speaking to Ole.com, Messi's former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez said he thinks pal Leo is very deserving of the award "I think Leo deserves to be the Ballon d'Or because he has had a spectacular year on a personal level despite only winning the Copa del Rey with Barcelona. What he performed on a personal level being the top scorer and top assistant in La Liga, obtaining the America's Cup being also the top scorer and top assistant makes him even bigger to have it".

Javier Zanetti

Not just Suarez, former Argentine footballer and current sports director of Inter Milan Javier Zanetti shared similar views to Ole.com "For me, Messi has to win the Ballon d'Or because he is still a different player from the rest, always decisive and unbalanced. We are talking about the essence of football. His numbers are impressive since he started playing football, be it in Europe and in the Argentine National Team. And now, after so long, as captain and as a leader, he managed to win the Copa América and make a whole country happy.  For all that, for me, he deserves to be chosen again with the Ballon d'Or"

Sergio Goycochea

Sergio Goycochea, another ex-Argentine footballer too believes that Messi deserves the award for his achievements with both the club and the national team. "Messi should win the Ballon d'Or, simply because of the statistics: for an impeccable career, for staying at the top for so long, for all the records he broke, and for the moment in which he won the title with the Argentine National Team after so long"

Ronaldinho, Jorginho, Ze Roberto, David Moyes, Gerard Pique, Antonio Cassano, Neymar, Ronald Koeman, Xavier Hernandez, Mauricio Pochettino, Josep Maria Bartomeu, Carles Puyol and Kylian Mbappe were among the many others who have openly vouched for Messi to win the Ballon d'Or 2021.

Image:  AP