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What's the story?
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are undoubtedly the two greatest footballers of our generation. After the Portuguese superstar won his 5th Ballon d'Or last night to draw level with his great rival, the debate as to who the better player was between them took another turn.
Ronaldo who had a chat with England legend Gary Lineker after winning the trophy spoke about his rivalry with Messi and how he wanted to continue performing at a high level for the coming years:
"I feel very happy, it’s a fantastic moment in my career, I’ve been waiting for this for a long time," said Ronaldo.
"This year has been great, we won the Champions League and La Liga and, on a personal level, I was a top scorer in the Champions League. Trophies help win these awards and we have to thank my colleagues from Madrid and Portugal, it was very important for me,” the Real Madrid forward added.
“I hope to play at this level for a few more years, I hope the battle with Messi continues, things happen for a reason. I feel good this season and we’ll see what we win at the end of the year.
“Neymar has a lot of talent, a lot of potential, and I’m sure he’ll have some chance to win in the future.”
Ronaldo ended by saying that a healthy rivalry between Messi and himself will only draw the best out of each other.
In case you didn't know...
Lionel Messi had a 4-1 Ballon d'Or lead in 2012, but Ronaldo with his stunning and consistent performances has caught with the Argentine maestro and levelled matters 5 each.
With Neymar slowly coming into his own at PSG, it will be interesting to see who claims the prestigious individual prize in 2018.
Also read: 10 players who could have won Ballon d'Or if Messi and Ronaldo did not exist
The heart of the matter
Lionel Messi has made a blistering start to the season, while Ronaldo has yet to find his top form. However, the Portuguese superstar showed his class in the Champions League becoming the first player to score in all 6 matches of the group stages.
Although 32, Ronaldo is still supremely fit and the Portuguese superstar will be hoping to get the better of Lionel Messi and Neymar in 2018 as well.
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Author's take
While Ronaldo and Messi fans keep arguing as to who the better player is, it is quite evident that these two superstars are once in a generation athletes who are clearly the best in the sport. Instead of arguing as to who is better, we should be thanking our stars that we are born in the era of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Also read: 10 greatest football players of all time
