THE EXTENSION OF BALLON D'OR VOTING PERIOD WAS DISGRACEFUL

Franck Ribéry fiercely criticised FIFA for extending the voting period for the Ballon d'Or at the very last minute: "It's the first time it’s happened. It's a disgrace and a disadvantage but I'm not scared. I'm calm," he told 'SportBild'.
The Bayern Munich star said that it makes no difference to him if Ronaldo goes to the ceremony or not: "I haven't spoken to Cristiano or with any other teammates about him. Why would I? I don't care if he comes or not. I'm honoured to be one of the three finalists, so of course I’m attending the gala."Ribéry did not hesitate to compare himself with Messi: "Pep has talked to me a lot about Messi and his game. He gives me free rein to do whatever I want. He lets me play through the middle, on the left, on the right. Pep tells me: 'It's important for you to have the ball'. I'm like Messi when I break down the wing. Pep probably would have wanted me to sign for Barça, but luckily for Bayern, that didn't happen."