The Ballon d'Or will be awarded on Monday evening in London's Walthamstow district. Felix Magath said Marc Cucurella would be his choice to win the prize.
Magath's top pick
Magath coached Bayern Munich from 2004 to 2007. Explaining his choice to Bild, the former Bayern Munich coach said: "He is world-class as a left-back, always there, strong at covering ground and loses hardly any duels."
Magath added: "He shuts down his side and also gets forward."
Second and third on his list
Magath put Rodri second on his Ballon d'Or list, calling him "the midfield orchestrator for Spain who was rightly voted the tournament's best player at the World Cup."
Fabian Ruiz was third on Magath's list. Magath said: "The third Spanish world champion on my list of favourites."
He also said of Ruiz: "A strong partner for Rodri and partly responsible for the balance and stability in their play. He also won the Champions League with Paris."
Discussion before the award
GOAL said many experts see Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane as the frontrunner. GOAL also described Cucurella as an unlikely name near the top of the bookmakers' lists.
GOAL said no defender has won the Ballon d'Or since Fabio Cannavaro did so 20 years ago.