Cristiano Ronaldo is the runaway favourite to win the next FIFA Ballon D'Or award for the world's best player.

The Portugal and Real Madrid attacker already has 23 goals in just 17 club games so far this season, to add to the mountain of goals he piled on in the second half of last season.

But sometimes in World Cup years, a member of the tournament-winning side gets boosted towards the individual prize, with a recent example being Italy's 2006 captain Fabio Cannavaro.

That has led to speculation that Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer could be in line to challenge Ronaldo for the prize.

But the Bayern Munich stopper did not hold back - in similar fashion to the way he treats his penalty box - when the subject of the Ballon D'Or came up.

"I'm a sportsman, not an ambassador for a brand, beyond being Adidas's first goalkeeper. I'm not some guy who poses in his underpants," he told Kicker magazine, pretty much referring to the favourite, Ronaldo.

He did not stop there.

"After the games, the main things they show are goals, the chances, the assists. Spectators don't tend to remember that the keeper stopped difficult balls by taking a big risk or organised the play from the back"

We can safely assume he is not putting money on himself to win the Ballon D'Or at the bookies.