Aitor Karanka: 'Cristiano Ronaldo deserves Ballon d'Or'

Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo deserved to win the Ballon d'Or.

The Real Madrid forward scooped the prize on Monday evening after fending off competition from Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery and Barcelona's Lionel Messi.

"I had the pleasure of working with Cristiano every day [in Madrid], Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are definitely the two best players in the world," Karanka told BBC Sport.

"I think the difference is tiny between them both but I think when you look at the number of goals he has scored over the past year, then Ronaldo is the best.

"Ronaldo improves every day. Look at his numbers three years ago and you think, 'It's impossible he can do better,' and then you look at him this year and he's done better again. He's always improving and because of that, he is the best."

The award is the second time Ronaldo has officially been recognised as the planet's finest footballer, after the Portuguese forward won the FIFA World Player of the Year prize in 2008 while at Manchester United.