Sepp Blatter reveals Florentino Perez was enraged for saying Messi is better than Ronaldo

What's the story?

Former FIFA chief, Sepp Blatter, has revealed that he once angered Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez, by publicly declaring that Lionel Messi was better than Cristiano Ronaldo back when the Portuguese ace was still playing for Los Blancos.

In case you didn't know...

Messi and Ronaldo have been the subject of endless debates in the course of their illustrious careers. The five-time Ballon d'Or-winning duo has redefined what it means to be a modern football player with an incredible consistency that has seen them at the top for over a decade.

Barcelona has benefitted from an entire career of Messi's goal-scoring exploits as the Argentine maestro has remained with the Catalan giants since his days at their famed La Masia academy. The 32-year-old has helped the Blaugrana to ten La Liga titles, four Champions League crowns, six Copa del Reys, seven Spanish Supercups, three UEFA Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups so far.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo has excelled in almost every country he's played in. He became the first player to win three of Europe's top five leagues after lifting the Serie A with Juventus last season. The Portuguese talisman has three Premier League titles with Manchester United, two La Liga titles with Real Madrid, a Serie A trophy with Juventus, five Champions League crowns, two UEFA Super Cups and two Copas del Rey among a host of other trophies.

The heart of the matter

Blatter, who is an honorary member of Real Madrid, has revealed that he received an angry phone call from Perez who was enraged after he declared Messi to be better than Ronaldo.

Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, he recalled, “I told students at a conference in Oxford they were both very good but that Messi was the child dreamed of by any mother and Ronaldo more robotic.”

“Cristiano was not happy and neither was the president of Real Madrid! Florentino was very angry! He said: ‘How can you say something like that when you are an honorary member of Real Madrid?’ I told him it was a matter of personal taste for players. He became more enraged and told me I should immediately clarify my words.”

He concluded, “Shortly after we had the choice of the Golden Ball (Ballon d’Or). Cristiano won. Football is that, passion.”