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Zlatan Ibrahimovic may not have won the Ballon d'Or like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but he has been a true entertainer on and off the pitch. The Swede has enjoyed a cult fan following across the globe, thanks to his unapologetic nature as a person.
It's true that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have both defined the modern era in football due to their unparalleled achievements at the highest level. And understandably, fans have been divided when it comes to choosing the GOAT from the two superstar players.
However, Ibrahimovic had an interesting stance on the GOAT debate when he was asked about by Piers Morgan in the past. He claimed that he would rank himself ahead of both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi purely based on football ability.
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Speaking on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Ibrahimovic stated:
"I think I am the best... without joking. I'm the most complete player that ever exists."
Notably, Lionel Messi recently surpassed Ibrahimovic's MLS record of being the fastest player to score 50 goals in the league. Josef Martinez and Ibrahimovic reached 50 goals in 54 games, while Messi, who scored a hat-trick in the 5-2 win over Nashville, reached the milestone in 53 matches.
Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, is inching closer to 1000 goals in professional football at the senior level, having scored 943 times for club and country.
What has Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi said about their rivalry?
Despite having shared the stage at the top level for so many years, Ronaldo and Messi do not have any hard feelings for each other. The duo have maintained that the rivalry only exists on the pitch, even though they represented arch-rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona at the peak of their careers.
Speaking to MARCA in 2017, Messi made his feelings clear about the rivalry. He revealed that there is no animosity between the pair but stated they aren't friends either:
"I don't know if we will be [friends in the future]. Friendship is built through spending time together and getting to know each other.
"We have no relationship, mainly because we only see each other at awards ceremonies, and that's the only time we speak.
"Everything is fine, but our lives don't cross very often."
Back in 2023, Ronaldo stated:
"If you like Cristiano, you don't have to hate Messi. The two changed the history of football and are respected."
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi could be playing their last ever FIFA World Cup next summer, when the tournament is held across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
