“To take Ballon d’Or away from Lionel Messi, that has an incredible merit” - Barcelona star opens up on admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo

Barcelona star Ferran Torres has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo deserves a lot of credit for competing with Lionel Messi for the Ballon d'Or over the years. The Spaniard added that the Al Nassr star is his idol because of his determination to compete.

Torres first said that Messi is the best player ever in his opinion as he has not seen the likes of Diego Maradona and Pele. However, he went on to claim that Ronaldo is close to the Inter Miami star.

Torres was quoted by MARCA as saying:

"I think Leo [is the best in history]. What Leo [Lionel Messi] has done, I have not seen anyone do. I haven't seen Maradona or Pelé, there was even Ronaldinho when I was very young, but Messi, to be there for 20 years, every year scoring 50 goals and 50 assists is crazy."

He added:

"But I also have to tell you that for me, Cristiano is a leader, an idol, because to compete and take Ballon d'Or away from the best player in history, that has an incredible merit."

Cristiano Ronaldo played 438 matches at Real Madrid and scored 450 goals for them, becoming their all-time top scorer. He also had 131 assists to his name.

Ronaldo headed to Juventus in 2018, and currently plies his trade for Al-Nassr.

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Ferran Torres once said he would "like to follow Cristiano Ronaldo's steps"

Ferran Torres said in an interview with Guillem Balague back in 2020 that he was looking to follow in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo. He claimed that the Portuguese star was his reference point for all career decisions, which is what led him to Manchester City.

He said:

"From an early age I had two main references, one when I was very small and he arrived at Valencia and that was David Villa. Villa and David Silva the duo that took Valencia to such great heights."

He added:

"But for me, Cristiano above all is a great reference not just because of the way he plays his football but also because of the way he carries himself away from football. It is worthy of admiration and I would like to follow his steps."

That said, the forward was quick to head back to Spain and join Lionel Messi's Barcelona in a reported £55 million deal.

Ferran Torres has scored thrice in 13 La Liga matches this season. In the UEFA Champions League, he has scored twice and assisted once in four games.