Diaby believes injuries prevented him from winning the Ballon d'Or

Cape Town - Former Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby reckons he would have won the Ballon d'Or if it hadn't been for his injury problems.

The Frenchman joined Ligue 1 side Marseille in 2015 after only making 16 Premier League appearances in his last four seasons with the Gunners.

The 30-year-old has been seriously hampered by injury with less than 200 appearances at club level to his name, despite being in his 13th season as a professional.

And Diaby thinks he had the potential to be the best player in the world.

"I have no limits. Once upon a time, people would ask me about the Ballon d’Or," he told .

"I told them I dreamt about it. I have always had big ambitions, like to become one of the best in my position. I think that I had the potential to achieve that.

"I am not saying it pretentiously, but some people in life are ambitious, others aren’t."