time to win the Ballon d'Or this year, ahead of Lionel Messi and
Franck Ribery.
The Portuguese star has played second fiddle to Barcelona ace
Messi since winning the prize for the first time back in 2008,
with the Argentine claiming the last four titles in a row, but
Ancelotti believes he deserves to win the latest crown for the
all-round impact he has on the Spanish giants.
"It's Cristiano's moment to win it ahead of Messi and Ribery,"
Ancelotti told TV programme El Larguero. "He has surprised me
the most with his professionalism. He's very serious, he has
amazing attention to detail. It's that which helps us the most - he
doesn't just score."
Ancelotti went on to explain his decision to allow Mesut Ozil to join
Arsenal this summer, claiming he prefers Angel Di Maria for the
balance he brings to the team alongside €100 million signing Gareth
Bale.
"It was a technical decision [to sell Ozil]," he continued. "I prefer
Di Maria for the balance of the team.
"He has less quality than Ozil but, for his character and the way
he helps the team, I wanted him. With the arrival of Bale I thought
it was more important to have Di Maria than Ozil.
"[Bale] wasn't cheap but that's the price of the market. It was
the wish of the player that brought him here. Tottenham
offered him more money."
Bale has struggled with injuries in recent weeks, but Ancelotti
feels he is now fully fit and could start the Clasico against
Barcelona this weekend.
"Since he's been here, he has not had a back problem. The
problem was his physical condition, as he hadn't trained. Now
he's good, he's ready to play from the start. He could start
against Barcelona.
"I asked him and he told me he prefers to play from the right. I
think he likes playing from the right so he can shoot from his left
foot."
Iker Casillas started the Champions League win over Valencia, but
Ancelotti hinted that Diego Lopez will keep his place for
Saturday's clash - though he insisted the club captain does not
want to leave the club in January.
"It's a question for Iker, but I don't think he thinks like that," he
said when asked if the Spain veteran would ask for a move.
"I have spoken with him to explain the situation. When he wants
to talk to me, my door is always open. For a coach, to explain the
situation is the most difficult.
"I already knew Diego Lopez. In 2006 I wanted to bring him to AC
Milan… He started before the pre-season and was very strong. It
wasn't an easy decision. Casillas gives me confidence and so I play
him in the Champions League, these games are as important as La
Liga.
"He is the captain, he has a lot of experience and he maintains the
harmony in the team. Iker wants to stay at Madrid and this is
good for us. But I've made my decision."
Finally, the former Paris Saint-Germain boss claims his side will
face a tough challenge against a confident Barcelona side this
weekend, and added that he is closer to Vicente del Bosque as a
coach than Madrid predecessor Jose Mourinho.
"Barca play with a lot of confidence because they've changed
practically nothing," he added. "When Mourinho was here there
were problems but they played fantastically there [at Camp
Nou]. I will try to play like the semi-final of the Copa del Rey last
year, the 3-1, and not change anything.
"I'm closer to Del Bosque than Mourinho."
