Cristiano Ronaldo to Win Ballon D'Or 2013? Colleagues Admit His Excellence

Cristiano Ronaldo seems poised to be the winner of the Ballon d'Or despite a tremendous amount of controversy in recent weeks. A number of colleagues have already spoken in his favor regarding the chances of winning his second Player of the Year award.

"For me, he is the best player in the world and I don't think anyone is near him," said Real Madrid teammate Gareth Bale, according to Goal.com. "He deserves that award [the Ballon d'Or]. The goals and the performances he has put in, especially when you think of the pressure he is under, for Portugal the other day, it shows what a true, true world-class player he is."

Bale is reportedly the most expensive player ever and was brought in to be a dynamic duo with Ronaldo. The two have not failed to impress and have even helped forward Karim Benzema find his form.

Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas recently revealed that he also picked Ronaldo as his top vote for the award.

"I voted for Cristiano and I would be surprised if he didn't win," said Casillas, according to Real Madrid News.

Even Barcelona player Dani Alves could not deny the fact that Ronaldo is at the top of his game and is the favorite for the award.

"Cristiano is in a very, very rich vein of form. This year, I think he's slightly ahead of the rest," said the Brazilian defender, according to Yahoo. "He's playing very well and he's scoring goals and that increases his chances. It's true that he hasn't won any trophies, but he has been in very good form."

Ronaldo has scored 66 goals in 2013; two more than the total scored by Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery combined. The two are apparently favorites to take down Ronaldo in this year's vote, but his recent run of play has made him the front-runner.

Despite his position, Ronaldo has admitted that the award is not his priority.

"I prefer to not say anything because things don't depend solely on me. I am not obsessed with the Ballon d'Or. We will see what happens," said Ronaldo, according to Yahoo.

Ronaldo won the award in 2008.