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In an interview with Italian newspaper Gazzetta Dello Sport, AC Milan sensation Ismael Bennacer has stated that he has no special praise reserved for modern-day legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The AC Milan youngster was asked about the players he idolises in the modern game. Bennacer claimed that has never put a fellow player on a pedestal and said that neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo deserved to be placed above their colleagues.
Ismael Bennacer refuses to hop on to the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo bandwagon
Lionel Messi and Cristiano have dominated the world of football for well over a decade. The legendary duo seems to be no mood of letting up and continues to wreak havoc in domestic competitions and in Europe.
Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are very popular figures and several emerging players tend to idolise them and engage them in selfies and shirt swaps.
Bennacer, however, is in no mood for excessive idolatry.
"I have no colleagues that I idolize. I admire them, but if I come across Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, I will not join a procession to honor them."
The Algerian youngster is known to be an ardent follower of his religion and stated that at the end of the day, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are only men.
"It is not arrogance, but just the opposite. My religion taught me that humility is crucial, so Ronaldo and Messi are men like any other."
The Algerian star also cited his teammates' example and stated that while a player of his age would usually be eager to swap shirts with either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, Bennacer himself had no such inclination.
"When I was at Empoli and played for the first time against Juventus, many teammates went to ask Cristiano Ronaldo for a selfie, but I did not go."
Ismael Bennacer generally plays in a deep-lying midfield role and is known for his excellent dribbling skills. The Algerian international won the "Best Player" award is the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and played a crucial role in the country's successful campaign.
The Arsenal youth product has certainly had an eventful start to his career and looks like he has the quality to possibly line up alongside the best in the world in the near future.
Elsewhere, both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo seem to have their hands a little too full at the moment. The Serie A is set to witness an exciting finish with Juventus only marginally ahead of Lazio at the top of the table. With Ciro Immobile firing on all cylinders for the Roman side, Cristiano Ronaldo will need to summon all his supernatural abilities to push Juventus past the finish line.
Lionel Messi finds himself in a similar situation. Barcelona is also at the top of the table but Real Madrid could overturn the 2-point deficit and usurp them at any time. The Catalans find themselves banking on their Argentine superstar yet again to pull them out of the hole they have dug themselves in.
Bennacer may not want to give them any special attention, but it is fairly evident that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo remain on top of the footballing world.
