RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Cristiano Ronaldo has reignited football’s most enduring debate, dismissing suggestions that Lionel Messi holds the edge over him in the race to be considered the greatest player of all time.
In a preview clip of an upcoming interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan, the Portuguese forward responded trenchantly when asked to respond to claims that Messi is superior.
“Messi better than me? I don’t agree with that opinion. I don’t want to be humble,” Ronaldo said, making clear that he believes his record stands on its own.
The rivalry between Ronaldo and Messi has shaped global football discourse for more than a decade, dividing supporters and pundits and helping define an era in which both players dominated elite competition.
Between them, the pair have amassed an extraordinary haul of individual honours, including multiple Champions League titles and a combined 12 Ballon d’Or awards.
Now playing for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, Ronaldo remains a central figure in the expanding football project backed by the kingdom’s sovereign wealth investments.
Messi, meanwhile, is pursuing a new chapter in Major League Soccer with Inter Miami, co-owned by former England captain David Beckham.
Asked about comments made by Wayne Rooney — who has said in the past that he favoured Messi as the superior talent — Ronaldo insisted the criticism did not affect him.
“It doesn’t bother me at all,” he said.
Rooney’s public remarks on the rivalry had previously drawn sharp responses from Ronaldo, most notably during an explosive 2022 interview with Morgan that preceded the Portuguese star’s abrupt exit from Manchester United.
The renewed exchange is likely to stir debate once more in a rivalry that has stretched from the Champions League to international finals and now into emerging football markets in the United States and Saudi Arabia.
Both players remain enormously influential off the pitch, with vast global followings, commercial endorsements, and continuing cultural visibility.
While many fans and analysts have long held that Messi’s World Cup triumph in 2022 settled the debate in his favour, Ronaldo’s latest statements shows his enduring self-belief and competitive edge.
The full interview is expected to delve deeper into his reflections on his career, legacy, and his relationship with former rivals and teammates.
For now, the only certainty is that football’s most polarising question — Ronaldo or Messi — remains as fiercely contested as ever.
