Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva has backed his teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the FIFA Ballon d'Or ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The Brazilian insists that the striker is playing better than both of the favourites and therefore deserves the prestigious award.
Silva, who has played with the Sweden international at AC Milan and PSG, also said that he 'loves' Ibrahimovic "as a football fan".
"As a football fan I love Ibrahimovic. I'm sure that he will be in the top three for the Ballon d'or," Silva told Sky Italia.
"It will be difficult for him to win but I think he deserves it as he is performing better than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi."
Silva and Ibrahimovic left Milan to join PSG in the summer of 2012.
