Cristiano Ronaldo: 'Lionel Messi better than me? I disagree'

Cristiano Ronaldo forcefully reiterated his belief that he is a better footballer than Lionel Messi.

"Is Messi better than me? I disagree. I don't want to be humble," Ronaldo said in an interview with Piers Morgan.

The interview clip was aired as a trailer to the full interview that will be released later on Tuesday.

During a heady period between 2008 and 2017, Messi and Ronaldo held a monopoly over the Ballon d'Or while at Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. Their performances redefined the sport and began a ceaseless debate over who is the greatest of all time.

Ronaldo has won five Champions League titles as compared to Messi's four. However, his five Ballon d'Or wins pale in comparison to Messi's eight.

Beyond their club laurels, both have also led their countries to glory on the world stage. Ronaldo led Portugal to the Euro 2016 title while Messi carried Argentina to the World Cup in 2022.