James Rodriguez has told Marca that Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo should win "99 percent" of the votes for the 2014 Ballon d'Or award.
Ronaldo, 29, has been shortlisted with Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer for FIFA's top individual accolade.
The Portuguese forward has won the award on two occasions, including last year's prize, and James is certain that Ronaldo should collect the Ballon d'Or for a second year running.
"It's an award all players dream of, but the Ballon d'Or is Cristiano's right now," he said. "He'll win it again this year because he deserves it, simple as that.
"He should win with 99 percent of the votes. As our coach [Carlo Ancelotti] said, there is a huge gulf between Cristiano and all the rest right now."
Ronaldo's treble against Celta on Saturday saw him break the record for most La Liga hat tricks, and James says the 29-year-old's work ethic sets him apart from his rivals for the award.
"His quality speaks for itself," he continued. "He works very hard to be what he is: the best in the world."
Colombia international James has been involved in more defensive work at Real than in his previous role at Monaco, but the 23-year-old says Ancelotti's tactical demands are the secret to Los Blancos' current 18-game winning streak.
"I have to do what the team needs at different times, I know that," he said. "That means taking an active role in all aspects of the game, not only in attacking play. Helping the team is the priority.
"Ancelotti is a great coach and we talk often. He has taught me a lot these past few months. I'm working hard to keep learning from him. We are all really happy to be working with Carlo.
"He asks much more of everyone defensively speaking. That's the key to Real's current good form."