“A king who crowns himself is no king”, “No WC no story” - Fans hit back at Cristiano Ronaldo for bold statement against Lionel Messi comparisons

Fans online criticized Cristiano Ronaldo after his bold statements about comparisons with archrival Lionel Messi. The Portuguese legend considered himself the best footballer in history beyond all comparisons.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been pitted the most against Lionel Messi throughout his career. The two legends are considered among the greatest footballers of all time boasting a record 13 Ballons d'Or together, with Messi having eight and Ronaldo five. Their rivalry reached its peak between 2009 and 2018 when Ronaldo plied his trade with Real Madrid and Lionel Messi was at Barcelona.

In an interview with El Chiringuito TV journalist Edu Aguirre (h/t Fabrizio Romano), Cristiano Ronaldo made bold claims about being compared to Lionel Messi. He declared himself the best player in history ahead of the likes of Maradona and Pele as well.

"I believe I am the best player ever in football history, no one was better. The numbers say that, I’m the most complete football player that has ever existed. People could like Messi or Maradona, Pele and I respect it yes, but I’m the most complete and the numbers are saying that," Ronaldo said.

"I haven’t seen anyone better than me in football history and I’m saying truth from my heart. I’m fast, I’m strong, I score with my header or with the left, no one has ever been more complete than me. I’m the best player in history. I really believe that," he added.

Fans took to Instagram to react to Cristiano Ronaldo's comments with many criticizing his bold declaration. One user wrote:

"No World Cup No Story."

Fan reactions on Instagram (Image via Instagram/@brandingdanny)

"Tywin Lannister : Any man who must say, "I am the king" is no true king," a user wrote alluding to the popular Game of Thrones character.

"What numbers? Less ballon d'or than messi, less fifa the best, less golden boot, less trophies, no wc ko goal, no wc, no Olympics, no laureus, no int mvp, less assists etc etc. if only goals made u best then why midfielders and defenders and gk exist," another netizen added.

"The ego of this dude cannot match the humility of Messi unfortunately," a fan remarked.

Fans continued to hit back at the Portuguese superstar for his comments. One netizen claimed:

"A king who crowns himself is no king."

Instagram fan reaction (Image via Instagram/@javid_711)

"There is a reason why I'm a Messi Fan," a fan jibed.

"This guy will cry more , when Messi receives Super ballond'or," another netizen chimed in.

"Bro thinks scoring most goals makes him goat," an Instagram user commented.

---

"They tried to sign me" - Cristiano Ronaldo claims he could have played for Lionel Messi's former club Barcelona before Manchester United

L to R: Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta - Source: Getty

In his aforementioned interview with Edu Aguirre, Cristiano Ronaldo claimed that Lionel Messi's former club Barcelona wanted to sign him before he joined Manchester United. The Portuguese legend joined the Red Devils in 2003 - a year before Lionel Messi made his Barcelona senior team debut.

"I could have played for Barça before Manchester United. I was at Sporting, they tried to sign me. They wanted me but one year after. Then Manchester United appeared," Ronaldo said (via Fabrizio Romano).

Cristiano Ronaldo rose from the ranks of the Sporting CP academy before joining Manchester United in 2003. He played for the Red Devils until 2009 when he joined Barcelona's archrivals Real Madrid.

The Al-Nassr ace has played 34 games against Barcelona throughout his career, recording 10 wins, nine draws, and 15 losses. He has scored 20 goals against La Blaugrana.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi was a product of the Barca youth academy, La Masia. He made his senior team debut in 2004 and remained at Camp Nou until 2021 when he joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).