Germany national team striker Thomas Muller wants his compatriot Manuel Neuer to win the Ballon d'Or award, but he admitted that the race for the prestigious award is too close.

Muller said in an interview that Neuer deserves to win this year's Ballon d'Or, but both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo also had great performances this year for their respective teams.

"It's difficult to say who deserves it the most," Muller said via Goal. "Manuel became a World Cup winner and had an outstanding year. Ronaldo also had an outstanding year -- and Messi too. They are unbelievable individuals, but I hope Manu [Neuer] wins the trophy."

Muller also pointed out that fans should not be surprised if Neuer eventually wins the award this year. He said that aside from helping Germany win the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Neuer is also doing a great job for Bayern Munich this season, surrendering just three goals in 14 Bundesliga games.

But for Real Madrid forward James Rodriguez, Ronaldo is obviously the most deserving among the three candidates, especially after helping Los Blancos win the Champions League last season. Rodriguez said in a recent interview that 99 percent of the votes for the prestigious award should go to his club teammate.

"It is an award all players dream of, but the Ballon d'Or is Cristiano's right now," Rodriguez said of Ronaldo. "He'll win it again this year because he deserves it, simple as that. He should win with 99 per cent of votes. As our coach said, there is a huge gulf between Cristiano and all the rest right now. His quality speaks for itself."

Ronaldo won the award last year, dethroning Messi, who won the award from the 2009-2012. The FC Barcelona forward is still a strong candidate this year, especially after becoming the all-time scoring leader in Spanish La Liga and UEFA Champions League.

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