Cristiano Ronaldo is more selfish than Lionel Messi, says former Manchester United chairman

What's the story?

Former Manchester United chairman Martin Edwards has opined that Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo is more selfish than Barcelona captain Lionel Messi, demonstrated by the way he celebrates during games.

In case you didn't know...

Both Ronaldo and Messi had Champions League clashes on Wednesday night as Juventus faced Ajax and Barcelona locked horns with Manchester United in the first leg of their quarter-final fixtures.

While the Old Lady drew 1-1 with goals from Ronaldo and David Neres, Barcelona registered a narrow win over the Red Devils courtesy of an early Luke Shaw own goal.

Considering the fact that both teams played away from home, they now hold a key advantage ahead of their second leg clashes with their quarter-final opponents.

Both Juventus and Barcelona are also at the summit of their respective leagues and are looking at probable domestic titles this season.

The heart of the matter

Edwards has recalled the first time he saw Ronaldo, who was at the time a teenager, revealing that the Portuguese youngster showed off a lot of his tricks.

Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Calciamercato), he said,

"I saw him the first time, at the age of 18, with Bolton in August: I was excited, he did certain tricks with the ball, the guys and I call them one trick ponies, the talented horses, who like to amaze, tried shooting and produced magic, if but a flash. Then he developed so much, but we couldn't imagine it coming to this. Not even Ferguson."

When asked about the debate surrounding Ronaldo and Messi, the former chairman said,

"Comparison between Ronaldo and Messi? The Argentine is more of a team man, and is also noticeable when he rejoices. He goes towards his companions. CR7 is more selfish, tends to celebrate on his own and expects others to run towards him."

What's next?

Barcelona and Juventus will face their quarter-final opponents for the second leg of the fixture on April 16.