Oliver Kahn favors Manuel Neuer for the Ballon d'Or

While everyone expects FIFA to give their Ballon d'Or award to either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi again, there is a push building for Manuel Neuer to sneak in and steal the trophy from the two of them. We saw 2004 winner and 1999/2000 third place finisher Andriy Shevchenko back Neuer, and now another legendary footballer has backed the Bayern Munich number one to win the award.

"It would be deserved, Manuel has taken goalkeeping to a whole new level," Kahn said. "Not only because of the performances that he has put in, but also because of the manner that he interprets the game. We saw how impressive he was at the World Cup. When you become a World Champion, you have a big chance of winning the award."

Kahn knows just how hard it is for a goalkeeper to win this award. In 2001 and 2002, Kahn finished third behind Michael Owen & Raul and Ronaldo & Roberto Carlos. However, he can see that Neuer is more than just a goalkeeper. "I know from personal experience that they have reservations about choosing a goalkeeper, but at the end of the day, the award is for World Footballer of the Year. But Manuel has the chance because he is a footballer."

I decided that I would go to twitter in hopes of finding a picture of Kahn and Neuer together. Jackpot.