"Better than mine" - When Cristiano Ronaldo named the one attribute he'd take from Lionel Messi

Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo once said the one attribute he would take from Argentine maestro and long-term rival Lionel Messi was his left foot. The talismanic forward dubbed his counterpart's left foot 'better' than his.

Messi has bagged a whopping 850 goals and 379 assists in 1083 appearances for club and country thus far. Of the 850 strikes, an unbelievable 711 have been scored with his left foot.

In comparison, 178 of Ronaldo's 920 goals (256 assists, 1259 appearances) have been scored with his left foot. Despite his inconceivably good record, fans have long wondered how it would look if he had a consistent left-footed shot.

The legendary attackers were nominated for the 2015 Ballon d'Or, with the Argentine legend scooping up the award for a fifth time in his career. Speaking ahead of the gala, the Portuguese icon lavished praise on his archrival's left foot.

He said (via SPORTbible):

"His left foot is pretty good - better than mine. I'd like to have his left foot."

Ronaldo and Messi have continued to dominate their leagues despite being 39 and 37 years old, respectively. The former has bagged 20 goals and three assists in just 23 appearances across competitions for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr this season.

The latter just won the 2024 Major League Soccer (MLS) MVP award for his incredible season with Inter Miami. Besides a few injury issues, he showed no signs of slowing down, racking up 23 goals and 13 assists in 25 games across competitions in the 2024 season.

"We each have our individual styles", "In my mind, I'm always the best" - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's varying perspectives on GOAT debate

When asked what attribute he would take from Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi gave a composed and diplomatic answer at the 2015 Ballon d'Or gala.

The former Barcelona superstar claimed that he wouldn't take any of his rival's attributes, saying (via SPORTbible):

"Envy is a very negative trait. Cristiano has many great qualities which every player would like to have. We each have our individual styles."

However, just two months before the ceremony, Ronaldo said he thought he was 'the best' regardless of the public opinion. In a November 2015 interview with BBC, the UEFA EURO 2016 winner said:

"In my mind, I'm always the best. I don't care what people think, what they say. In my mind, not just this year but always, I'm always the best. It's opinions, I respect the opinions. (The public might think) Messi is better than me, but in my mind I am better than him. So it's simple."

Up next, Ronaldo will be seen in action in Al-Nassr's Saudi Pro League clash against Al-Raed on Thursday (January 30). On Wednesday (January 29), Messi will take the field for Inter Miami against Peruvian side Universitario in a pre-season friendly.