Cristiano Ronaldo is good at playing football.
So good, that many would go as far as saying there’s nobody on the face of this planet that’s better than him. As far as everyone else is concerned, it’s probably Lionel Messi.
Only last week, Barcelona legend Xavi had his say on the matter and unsurprisingly claimed that his former teammate had the edge over Ronaldo.
“Ronaldo is a player of his time,” the 36-year-old told Cadena SER. “The problem is that there is another who has been pretty much the best player in history.
“Ronaldo is extraordinary but compared to Messi, for me and for everyone who likes football, there are no comparisons.”
The comments didn’t sit too well with Ronnie, who responded after Real Madrid’s weekend victory over Osasuna.
“The most searched for player on the Internet is me,” Ronaldo told reporters, as quoted in the Daily Mail. “Those that want to appear on front covers [of newspapers] or promote things speak about me.
“What does it matter to me what Xavi says? He plays where? In Qatar or [somewhere], I don’t know.
“He’s won everything but he’s never won a Ballon d’Or. I have three.”
Ouch.
Having made it perfectly clear that he won’t stand for some bang average World Cup and Champions League-winning midfielder suggesting he’s only the second best footballer in the world, we can’t help but wonder what Cristiano will make of the latest comments from Luis Figo.
Figo, who famously played on both side of the El Clasico divide, has recently been speaking to AS about his fellow Portuguese footballer. Although he spoke glowingly about Ronaldo, the 43-year-old stated that he didn’t believe he had done in enough to be regarded his nation’s greatest ever footballer, instead choosing Abel Xavier Eusebio.
“I admire Cristiano and I enjoy seeing his achievements. He just gets better every year. He’s making football history,” Figo said.
“But even though I never saw Eusebio play, I would put him at number one for everything he stands for, for the love he showed me, his friendship and his advice. Everyone will say that I say that for this reason or that reason but ultimately it’s just about respect. Everyone makes history in their own time.”
How many Ballons D’Or did you win, Luis? Just the one?
Read more from SportsJOE: