Cristiano Ronaldo seems like an extremely confident man, and on Sunday, the Portuguese star called himself the best soccer player in the world. Yes, even better than Lionel Messi. Ronaldo's comments came from an interview for El Pais in August, which was only released recently to promote his upcoming documentary movie. The interview was transcribed Spanish paper AS.
Ronaldo said the ranking of the best player of the world is a matter of small details, like trophies won, but in his mind, nobody is better. Here's what he had to say about the Messi-Ronaldo "rivalry."
"It doesn't bother me. If you look back over my past eight years, I've always been at the peak; and that is difficult. Name me someone else who has done it? After that, being No. 1 or No. 2 is a matter of small details, such as if you win trophies or not. Perhaps for you, Messi is the best; in my head, I am the best -- and everyone should think that about ourselves. That is why I have been able to achieve so much in my career.
No doubt that both are incredibly talented goalscorers and will go down as two of the best in history.
According to a poll taken by Brazilian Serie A managers, Messi is the best player in the world. It's long been a big debate in world soccer. With both playing for big clubs -- Messi with Barcelona and Ronaldo at Real Madrid -- fans of each rival team have an easy choice. For those who support other clubs, it's a mixed bag. Some like Messi simply because of his play (at his size), while Ronaldo picks up some fans for his off-the-field popularity.
Messi has been sidelined this season with a knee injury but is expected to return in the coming weeks, while Ronaldo has been in fine form for Real in league play and in the Champions League.
Who is your choice? Let us know in the comments below.