Cristiano Ronaldo Will Attend 2013 Ballon d'Or Ceremony

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will reportedly be in attendance when the FIFA Ballon d'Or is handed out next month in Zurich.    

Questions were raised about whether or not Ronaldo would attend the ceremony after he voiced his displeasure about comments made by FIFA president Sepp Blatter. But Marca passed along a report from Spanish outlet El Partido de las 12 which states FIFA has been told he'll be there.

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According to the broadcaster, Real Madrid has already informed FIFA via a telephone conversation.

Ronaldo's presence at the ceremony began to look less likely after Blatter's performance in front of a group of Oxford University students, when the FIFA president likened CR7 to a commander on the field of play.

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Paul Gorst of the Daily Mirror provided the recent comments from Ronaldo that led to concerns about one of three finalists for the coveted award skipping the event.

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"I will not respond to [Blatter's] comments.

"On the day of the Ballon d'Or ceremony I may be in Spain or in Zurich, or in Madeira."

The Los Blancos star was unhappy with comments made by Blatter when he was trying to sum up the differences between the player and Barca star Messi.

"Ronaldo spends more time at the hairdresser," said the FIFA president.

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Ronaldo, who finished second in the Ballon d'Or voting each of the past two years, is once again among the final trio of contenders.

He's joined by Lionel Messi, who has won the award each year since the format was changed to merge it with the FIFA World Player of the Year, and Franck Ribery. Here's a look from Sky Sports passed along by Matt Craig of the finalists:

Ronaldo emerged as the oddsmakers' favorite (4-11 according to Sky Bet) for the honor after his sensational performances leading Portugal past Sweden in the UEFA World Cup qualifying playoffs. He scored all four of the national team's goals in a 4-2 aggregate triumph.

Messi had another terrific year leading the attack for Barcelona and Argentina. Ribery was a key piece of a treble-winning Bayern Munich side while also helping lead France to the World Cup. But Ronaldo's late surge could very well be enough for him to win the vote.

If that's the case, it wouldn't have been a good sign for FIFA to hand out the year's top individual honor and have the winner not show up to accept the trophy. So the fact Ronaldo is reportedly planning to attend is a big relief for the organization.

If the ceremony goes according to plan, it could also be one of the most memorable moments of Ronaldo's career.