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Bayer Leverkusen star Leon Bailey believes Cristiano Ronaldo 'will always have the upper hand' over his rival Lionel Messi and went on to explain why that is the case.
The Bundesliga winger, who has been in fine form this season, was asked to choose between the pair of football legends who have won a staggering 11 Ballons d'Or between them. He revealed his admiration for the Juventus striker as opposed to the Barcelona legend.
Speaking on why he feels that Cristiano Ronaldo has had a more successful career than Lionel Messi, Bailey explained;
"I think he [Lionel Messi] has been at one club for too long. The big difference between Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi is Cristiano Ronaldo has done great things in different teams and that's what makes him great. Obviously they are two great players but Ronaldo will always have that upper hand."
Despite having said this, Bailey believes that Lionel Messi is more of a 'pure talent' in comparison to Cristiano Ronaldo. He added,
"I believe Lionel Messi is more talented when it comes to [pure] talent than Cristiano. But when it comes to more success, I would give that to Ronaldo 100 times."
Bailey became the latest football figure to have weighed in on the debate between the two football legends. The Jamaican forward has been in fine touch this season, scoring five goals and setting up a further six in his 19 starts for Bayer 04 this campaign.
He could potentially follow Cristiano Ronaldo's footsteps by playing for Manchester United as the Red Devils have been linked with a move for the Bundesliga winger in the summer.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi continue to break records
Despite being in the twilight years of their careers, both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi continue to shatter records season after season. The Portuguese scored what was his 760th goal for club and country before his 36th birthday, making him the highest official goalscorer in football history.
Although the record UEFA Champions League scorer has a number of records to his name, this recent achievement of his is arguably the most impressive of them all.
Barcelona's draw against Cadiz on Monday was a landmark day for Lionel Messi. He became the first-ever player in LaLiga Santander history to score past 38 different LaLiga Santander teams, making it his most recent addition to a list of stellar records.
The 33-year-old Argentine legend also became Barcelona's record LaLiga appearance holder with his 506th league outing, surpassing Xavi Hernandez's tally of 505.
