Massimiliano Allegri says Cristiano Ronaldo deserves to win the Ballon d'Or, despite talk the Juventus star has not made the three-man shortlist.
The five-time winner has claimed the award in each of the past two years, with Ronaldo boosting his 2018 bid by firing Real Madrid to Champions League glory before making a strong start to life at Juve. He also scored a hat-trick for Portugal at the World Cup.
But a report by Tuttosport suggests Ronaldo is not in the running for a third straight Ballon d'Or, with Raphael Varane, Luka Modric and Kylian Mbappe rumoured to be the three contenders.