Real Madrid skipper Iker Casillas has invited fresh scrutiny of his relationship with teammate Cristiano Ronaldo after commenting on the Ballon d'Or. Over the weekend, Ronaldo declared he'd happily vote for himself, insisting there was no need to be modest.

But Casillas, yesterday, declared: "Frankly, I could not do it (vote for myself). I prefer that recognition of my work comes from outside, rather than myself."

The goalkeeper went on to say he would actually vote for Sergio Ramos ahead of Ronaldo in the Ballon d'Or poll.