I am not obsessed by Ballon d’Or unlike “some players” – Gareth Bale

Real Madrid ace Gareth Bale has insisted that he is capable of winning the Ballon d’Or, but stressed that he is not consumed by the prize – unlike “some players”.

The Welshman made the 23-man shortlist, but some bookmakers are offering odds as high as 100/1 on him, with Lionel Messi clear favourite after helping Barcelona to a treble last term.

Nobody outside of Messi or Bale’s Real teammate Cristiano Ronaldo has won the award since Kaka in 2007, with the Portuguese vying for a third successive title and fourth overall.

“I feel like I am capable of achieving that because I know my ability,” Bale, 26, told The Mirror. “I wouldn’t say winning the Ballon d’Or is my aim or my goal because, for me, it isn’t really about individual awards.

It is about winning the Champions League and La Liga – and when you do that, the other things come. “When I won the PFA Player of the Year award at Spurs, I never thought at the start of the season that I wanted to win that trophy.

It was just play, play, play, do as well as you can for the team, try to score goals and make assists, and whatever happens at the end of the season happens. “The award is an obsession for some players. That might work for them, but I just want to score and create goals and win trophies. If individual awards come they are just a big bonus.”

The winner for 2015 will be announced in January.