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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are regarded as the two greatest footballers on the planet right now. However, AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes his career and quality has surpassed that of the legendary duo.
The Swede told a press conference:
“If we are talking about intrinsic quality, then they [Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldoo] have nothing more than me. If we consider trophies, then yes, I didn’t win the Champions League."
Asked about the Ballon d'Or, Zlatan Ibrahimovic replied:
“I don’t know what criteria they use to decide who gets the award, because I am not obsessed with it."
"When a collective works, the individual inevitably benefits from that. An individual cannot do well if the team isn’t solid. Deep down, I do think that I am the best in the world,” he added.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is without doubt one of the best attackers in Europe over the last one-and-a-half decades. The striker has an impressive record of 484 goals and 193 assists so far in his club career.
However, his numbers do not stand a chance against Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have scored 672 and 674 goals respectively at club level. The duo also have 11 Ballon d'Or awards and nine Champions League trophies between them, while Ibrahimovic has not laid his hands on either honor so far in his career.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo showing no signs of slowing down
Despite clocking 34 and 36 years respectively, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo continue firing on all cylinders. The iconic rivals reminded the world of their superiority once again this year while representing their nations in international tournaments.
Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed a prolific outing with Portugal in the European Championship where he finished as top scorer with five goals and one assist. Lionel Messi also led Argentina to the Copa America triumph, topping the goal and assist charts as well as being named the best player of the tournament.
Both superstars embraced new challenges in their careers by switching clubs during the summer transfer window. Leo ended his 21-year spell at Barcelona to open a new chapter in his career as he joined Paris Saint-Germain. CR7 also left Juventus to sign a two-year contract with Premier League giants Manchester United.
