publicity to be crowned the recipient of the honour, while he laughed
off speculation surrounding his future
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has claimed the winner of the Fifa
Ballon d'Or has already been decided, amidst talk of a conspiracy that
"the heads of football" have campaigned for Lionel Messi.
The Barcelona forward is the current favourite to win the individual
accolade for a third successive year but will have to oust team-mate
Andres Iniesta and Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, both of whom also made
the final three-man shortlist.
When quizzed on his attacker's chances of winning the award after
Madrid's 4-1 Champions League win over Ajax on Tuesday, Mourinho
replied: "The Ballon d'Or has already been given.
"When the heads of football speak and make the campaign, there is
nothing you can do."