Neymar will be best next year: Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the two best players in the world right now but Neymar will eclipse them both next year, former Brazil striker Ronaldo said.

FIFA will release the names of the three finalists for the Ballon d'Or on Monday, with the choice of world's best player to be announced on Jan 11.

Brazilians have featured heavily in the voting over the past 20 years with Romario, Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Kaka lifting the trophy eight times between 1994 and 2007.

However, the Spain-based duo of Messi and Ronaldo has had a stranglehold on the award since 2008, with Portugal's Ronaldo winning it three times (2008, 2013 and 2014) and Messi winning four awards (2009-2012).

"I would bet on Neymar next year," Brazil's Ronaldo said. "I think Neymar is still growing a lot and I think the growth of Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi has reached its limit.

"Maybe they will be there another year or two and I think it's natural that Neymar takes over that position in which Brazil has always had representatives."

Ronaldo said he had hoped his countryman would break through this year but was not confident the Barcelona forward would even be in the running given the stiff competition.

"I really want Neymar to win and interrupt the series of Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi," the former Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Barcelona striker said.

"I think this year it will be between the two of them again. I don't know if Neymar will finish in third."

Barcelona's Luis Suarez, Paris St. Germain's Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski are among the other possible contenders for the trophy.

Ronaldo's call

Turmoil inside the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) is affecting results on the field and the head of the organization should stand down as part of a widespread cleanup, Ronaldo also said.

The former head of the organization, Jose Maria Marin, was arrested as part of the FIFA corruption probe in May and his successor has come under scrutiny in the months since.

On the field, the Brazilian national side was knocked out of the Copa America at the quarterfinal stage in June and started the 2018 World Cup qualifiers inconsistently, losing its opener before rebounding to win two and draw one.

"Results don't come in a tumultuous atmosphere," Ronaldo said.

"It's a very tough time for Brazilian football, both administratively and in terms of talent. We have had a difficult time finding talent. The players appeared much more frequently in the past."

Ronaldo said the jailing of Marin and the criticism of his successor, Marco Polo Del Nero, have damaged the credibility of soccer in Brazil, the only country to win the World Cup five times.

Marin was extradited to New York earlier this month and Del Nero has refused to leave Brazil since police raided a Swiss hotel in May, arresting nine soccer officials and five sports media and promotions executives.

According to Brazil's constitution, Brazilian citizens cannot be extradited from their homeland to another country.

"I think it interferes directly. The management of a club or a federation has to be professional, it has to be transparent," Ronaldo said at the opening of the Pokerstars.net Brazilian Series of Poker.