Milan legend Franco Baresi would pick Leicester City’s Claudio Ranieri for FIFA Coach of the Year “without hesitation”.
The former Roma, Inter and Juventus boss lifted the Premier League title with the Foxes, an achievement which was judged less likely by bookmakers than Elvis Presley being found alive.
“All three nominees [Ranieri, Zinedine Zidane and Fernando Santos] had a fantastic year,” Baresi told FIFA.com.
Milan legend Franco Baresi would pick Leicester City’s Claudio Ranieri for FIFA Coach of the Year “without hesitation”.
The former Roma, Inter and Juventus boss lifted the Premier League title with the Foxes, an achievement which was judged less likely by bookmakers than Elvis Presley being found alive.
“All three nominees [Ranieri, Zinedine Zidane and Fernando Santos] had a fantastic year,” Baresi told FIFA.com.
“Santos won his country’s first-ever European Championship, while Zidane won the Champions League. As for Ranieri, he pulled off something of a miracle with Leicester.
“There isn’t really another word to describe his Premier League victory. It’s often quite difficult to work out who did the best job in a given year, but this year, I’d opt for Ranieri without hesitation, given the scale of his achievement.”
Baresi was less equivocal, however, when asked to choose between Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann for Best FIFA Men’s Player.
“It’s very difficult to separate them; all three are very gifted. They’re pretty much as good as each other, even though they have slightly different skillsets out on the pitch.
“Ronaldo, for example, is a highly talented player. He’s capable of scoring goals from anywhere and from any position, with his right foot, his left, his head or with a backheel, and from long range or from close in.
“No matter where he picks up the ball, he just fires it into the back of the net. Messi is very different. It’s his technique and ball-handling skills that make him stand out.
“Both of them are great players and both deserve to be recognised.”