Former Bayern Munich midfielder Dietmar Hamann has insisted that the club's attacker Franck Ribery should not be considered for the Ballon d'Or.
The French international, who helped Bayern win a trio of trophies last season, is currently sandwiched between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the running for the award, according to the bookmakers.
However, Hamann believes that La Liga-based Ronaldo and Messi "are way above" Ribery and the rest of world football at this present moment in time.
"I find it quite surprising that there were 20 players in the mix to become the best player in the world. It might be boring, but the simple matter of fact is that Ronaldo and Messi are way above everybody else in the world right now. I don't think Ribery should be considered, even though he won the Treble last year," he told Sky Sports News.
"If you look at the sheer figures - it's not that Ronaldo and Messi are scoring a couple more goals, it's 25 or 30 more than Ribery and everyone else."
Voting for the award was extended by FIFA this morning until Friday, November 29.
Liam Apicella
