Wesley Sneijder claims he could have been at the same level as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo if he wanted to

Dutch legend Wesley Sneijder has claimed that he could have been mentioned in the same breath as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo if he had made more effort in his career.

Sneijder says more commitment would've put him on the same level as Messi and Ronaldo

Sneijder announced his retirement from professional football in August after a final stint in Qatar with Al-Gharafa. The 35-year-old boasts of having won a domestic title with most of the clubs he had played for including Ajax, Real Madrid, and Inter Milan. He also won the Champions League crown with the Nerazzurri during their treble-winning 2009-10 campaign.

The former Netherlands international was heavily tipped to win the Ballon d'Or in 2010 after a scintillating campaign with Inter but lost out the coveted prize to Messi. He stood fourth in the rankings behind Andres Iniesta and Xavi.

Speaking to Fox Sports, Sneijder stated that he could have been on the same level as Messi and Ronaldo as a player but refused to do so because it would mean a complete commitment to the sport.

He said (via Fox Sports Malaysia), "If I would have lived 100% for my sport, I would have joined the list of Cristiano & Messi. I know that. But I didn’t want to, and I don’t regret that. It’s not like I couldn’t do it, I just didn’t want to."

Since his retirement, Sneijder has signed on with Eredivisie side Utrecht in a director role.