Inter Milan demand official support for Ibrahimovic's Ballon d'Or bid

Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti is demanding official support for Zlatan Ibrahimovic's bid to win next month's Ballon d'Or.

“What does Ibrahimovic need to win the Ballon d'Or? Probably some real support from the Italian Football Federation - that would be nice,” Moratti said.

“As a team we also need to try and support him. But so much depends on the journalists and in particular those from France.”

Ibra has been accused of failing to turn up for the big games during his career, but he will look to put that right when the Nerazzurri host Juventus next weekend.

“Zlatan has already said that the game against Juve is must-win? You can say that for every game but it is crucial for thousands of reasons.

“The rivalry with the Bianconeri is based on tradition and is linked to the Scudetto. It's different to the city rivalry with Milan.

“If I could take one Juventus player for my Inter side it would be Alessandro Del Piero. He really is a brilliant player and he deserves all the plaudits.

“You never know how the title race will go. Inter, Juventus and Milan are close at the top, but it just needs a slip or two and others may arrive.”