Spanish newspaper: Messi surpasses Ronaldo to win the Golden Ball

Diario Gol newspaper quoted its own source as saying that Lionel Messi was the player who won the 2016 Golden Ball, not the most promising candidate Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi is in good form in the second half of 2016. Photo: Reuters

Citing a source close to the France Football magazine's voting committee, the Spanish newspaper Diario Gol, published on November 6, revealed that Messi received the most points in the vote. Ronaldo ranked second, while Antoine Griezmann came in third.

If the actual results are as reported by Diario Gol, the football world will witness a surprise. After a year of winning both the Champions League and Euro, Ronaldo is considered the most promising candidate for the 2016 Golden Ball award.

Meanwhile, having only won La Liga and the King's Cup, Messi is not highly regarded for his level of success. On a personal level, M10 even lost to his teammate Luis Suarez in terms of goals scored in La Liga 2016-2017.

After the Champions League and Euro, most public opinion predicts Ronaldo will win the Golden Ball.

According to Diario Gol, Ronaldo has a higher chance of winning the FIFA Best Player award than the Ballon d'Or award. These are also two new awards that have been separated from the FIFA Ballon d'Or award - a vote that has been held continuously for the past six years.

The Ballon d'Or is organized by France Football magazine, for journalists selected by the magazine.

Meanwhile, FIFA has just launched a new voting method for the FIFA Best Player award. In addition to national team captains and coaches, representatives from about 200 media agencies are also allowed to participate, not to mention a public online vote for fans.

According to VNE