The Ballon d'Or is an award that should be bestowed upon the greatest talent of that respective year and over the years the creme of world football such as Brazilian Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane have picked up the coveted trophy.

Despite being based on talent, it seems a player has a clear advantage of winning the Ballon d'Or if they play in a more attacking position that can excite and draw in crowds.

Defenders and goalkeepers are seen as an afterthought for the most part with just three defenders picking up the award and not a single 'keeper.

The last defender to finish top of the list was World Cup winner and Parma legend Fabio Cannavaro, all the way back in 2006.

One former player who believes defenders should get more attention is ex-Real Madrid and Portugal midfielder Luis Figo.

The former Galactico has acknowledged how difficult it is to win the award from the back, but has singled out one defender in particular to pick up the accolade.

"It's clear that Sergio Ramos deserves to win the Ballon d'Or," Figo explained in an interview with MARCA.

"Being a defender is almost like being a goalkeeper, it's a lot more difficult to win the award, but Cannavaro managed it," Figo added.

"It depends on the moment, on the year, but for quality alone it's obvious that Ramos should win it."

This is a controversial choice from the Portuguese with Ramos being a polarising character to say the least.

However, the 32-year-old Spaniard has managed to notch an unbelievable 16 goals this season in all competitions, which is more than both Roberto Firmino (14) and Paulo Dybala (10).

Not to mention his career goals tally to date which currently stands at a whopping 107 goals.

The centre-back also has a bulging trophy cabinet, with two European Championships, a World Cup, four Champions Leagues and four La Liga titles.

So when you take all of that into consideration, it is hard to argue.

But be prepared for one almighty backlash if Ramos is to ever win the Ballon d'Or