Ronaldo doesn't think Messi is 'The Best': Here's why
What's the story
Football's two greatest superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the scenes over more than a decade now. When it comes to the top awards in football, nobody else has challenged the duo over the years. However, when it comes to voting for a player at award functions, Ronaldo has never shown his liking for Messi. Here are the details.
The Best
Messi was voted the world's best for the sixth time
Recently, Messi edged out Van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo to win the best men's player at the Best FIFA Football Awards in Milan. Messi bagged the award for the sixth time in his career after being voted the best in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015. The Argentine scored 54 goals and made 20 assists in 58 appearances for club and country in 2018-19.
The Best
Messi voted for Ronaldo but CR7 didn't return the favor
Messi, who was crowned The Best Player of the Year, voted for Ronaldo but the former Real Madrid forward didn't return the favor. Instead, Ronaldo chose Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong and Kylian Mbappe as his choices. Messi's first choice was Sadio Mane, followed by Ronaldo and De Jong. It was the second successive year Messi voted for Ronaldo for The Best award.
Words
Ronaldo had praised Messi last month
Ronaldo has abstained from voting for Messi despite heaping praise on his main rival at UEFA's ceremony last month. "We've shared the stage for 15 years, me and him. I don't know if that's ever happened in football, the same two guys, the same stage, all the time. It's not easy," Ronaldo said. He also wanted to have dinner with Messi in the future.
Our take
It's not strange that Ronaldo hasn't voted for Messi
It's not strange that Ronaldo has never voted for Messi. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid player always considers himself as the best. This is despite his claims that both Messi and himself have pushed each other to be the best. However, it's Ronaldo's competitive nature and his personal choice that puts weight on his decisions.