"Only seen as the greatest by his friends" - Lionel Messi fans aim dig at Cristiano Ronaldo as he's named best of all time by Portuguese League

Lionel Messi fans online slammed Cristiano Ronaldo after Liga Portugal named him the best of all time. The Portuguese league shared a video featuring Ronaldo thanking them for the gesture.

In the video, Cristiano Ronaldo was seen holding his trophy after being named the best player of all time at the Liga Portugal awards. The legendary forward said:

"Hello. I'd like to thank Liga Portugal for this award, being named the best player of all time. As you can imagine, it is a great honor to win something for my country. First of all, I'd like to thank all my teammates who have helped me throughout my career to achieve this amazing trophy, as well as all the coaches, everyone who has supported me on this journey of always pushing to improve. Thank you all so much and enjoy. Take care!"

Fans took to X to react to Cristiano Ronaldo's new honor, with many criticizing his reaction. Some Lionel Messi fans claimed the award appeared to be from his "friends" as it was awarded by the Portuguese league. An X user wrote:

"Ronaldo is only seen as the greatest by his friends."

Hardey

@Hardey121

@TouchlineX Ronaldo is only seen as the greatest by his friends

Other users agreed with the sentiments and shared their views:

sloppyslotts

@sloppyslotsss

@TouchlineX Must be one of those Dubai Dor

GolfWang

@golfwang0x

@TouchlineX Whatever makes them sleep better at night

Huey Freeman(❖,❖) (✧ᴗ✧)

@Jojolola8

@TouchlineX This is like calling myself Employee of the Month at my own house Messi clears.

Fans continued to share their thoughts, with many continuing the age-old Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo debate. Many also spoke in favor of Ronaldo's plethora of achievements.

🆆🅴🅰 $ 🅻🆃🅷

@CryptoPlays_

@TouchlineX Portuguese league is not relevant.

ReverbMayo

@ReverbMayo

@TouchlineX No surprise there. You can like him or not, but that doesn't change the fact that he's an outstanding athlete and his achievements in this field are hard to beat.

Bryth

@bryth00

@TouchlineX Argentina should organize their own award for the short fraud like they organized Copa America every year just for him to win it

Ronaldo's latest honor came after he led Portugal to their second UEFA Nations League title earlier this year in June. The Al-Nassr superstar is also the all-time highest goalscorer for his side, recording 141 goals in 223 appearances across competitions.

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"One thing is taste" - When Cristiano Ronaldo claimed he's the best in history even if people prefer Lionel Messi

Ronaldo and Messi (L to R) - Source: Getty

In an interview with LaSexta TV (h/t Al Jazeera) in February this year, Cristiano Ronaldo called himself the best player in history. He claimed that people might like Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, or Pele, but he would still call himself the most complete footballer of all time.

"I’m the best player in football history. I haven’t seen anyone better than me in football history, and I’m saying truth from my heart. I’m talking about numbers. I think I’m the most complete player to have existed. In my opinion, I think it’s me. I do everything well in football: with my head, free kicks, left foot. I’m fast. I’m strong," he said.

The Portuguese icon added:

"One thing is taste. If you like Messi, Pele, Maradona, I understand that and I respect that, but saying Ronaldo isn’t complete … I’m the most complete. I haven’t seen anybody better than me, and I say it from the heart."

Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are at the twilight of their careers today and are still considered among the greatest athletes of all time. It remains to be seen how long they continue to grace the pitch, but their rivalry will mark a unique era in football in the next generations.