Portugal captain rejects suggestions that Lionel Messi is the better player
Cristiano Ronaldo has said his career will not be judged by whether or not he wins a World Cup.
In an interview with Piers Morgan, the 40-year-old Al-Nassr forward dismissed the idea that a single tournament should determine how football history remembers him.
“If you ask me, Cristiano, is it a dream to win the World Cup? No, it’s not a dream,” Ronaldo said. “Define what? To define if I’m one of the best in history, to win one competition, [of] six games, seven games. You think it’s fair?”
Ronaldo insisted his record speaks for itself. The Portugal forward has scored 952 career goals and remains the all-time leading scorer in international football with 143.
He has won every major honour at club level, including five Champions League titles, and led his national team to their first major trophy at Euro 2016. He later added the inaugural Uefa Nations League title in 2019 and then another this year to his Portugal account.
Comments about whether or not Ronaldo can win the World Cup are usually underlined by comparisons to Lionel Messi. Many insist that their rivalry has been settled by Messi winning the World Cup in 2022 with Argentina, making him officially the so-called “Goat”.
But the Portugal captain dismissed the idea that his eternal rival is greater.
“Is Messi better than me? I disagree,” said Ronaldo. “I don’t want to be humble.”
