Juanfran believes his Atletico Madrid team-mate Antoine Griezmann should win the Ballon d'Or ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Either Messi or Ronaldo have picked up the award between them since Kaka won it in 2007, but Juanfran sees this domination coming to an end this year, with Griezmann, the Player of the Tournament at Euro 2016, the most likely alternative candidate.
"I had already prepared for this question [on whether Messi is the world's best] because I knew you were going to ask," he told El Larguero.
"The other day my wife told me I would not like to say that one is better than another. For me, though, the best player is ours.
"The Ballon d'Or should go to Griezmann, it's clear."
Griezmann and Messi go head-to-head in LaLiga on Wednesday night as Atleti travel to Camp Nou.
