"He's the f*****g greatest" – Dimitar Berbatov's confident claim about Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi debate resurfaces

Dimitar Berbatov's old comments have resurfaced where he rated Lionel Messi above Cristiano Ronaldo. The former Bulgarian forward picked Messi despite being Ronaldo's teammate at Manchester United during the Portuguese forward's first stint at the club.

Dimitar Berbatov provides his reasons as to why he prefers Messi over Ronaldo. However, he does label his former Manchester United teammate a brilliant player. Speaking to ESPN FC back in 2017 (via Goal), Berbatov was quoted as saying the following:

"He's the f***ing greatest. Ronaldo is brilliant, Messi is more my kind of player. He sees the game so clearly. He can score, create, he's the complete player, the best ever probably."

Berbatov, however, does believe Ronaldo is one of the best role models available to the younger generation at the moment. He added:

"Young players try and imitate the best players like Ronaldo. They try to imitate the hair, the clothes, the cars, the tricks. I try to tell them how hard Cristiano Ronaldo trained in training and after training. He only wanted to be the best. Everything else came after."

It is worth mentioning that Ronaldo had just won The Best FIFA Men's Player in 2017 after guiding Real Madrid to a league and Champions League double. The Portuguese star retained the award and finished above Messi and Neymar, who were both at Barcelona at the time.

Cristiano Ronaldo also won the Ballon d'Or in 2017 which was his fifth award. The Manchester United forward has not added another Ballon d'Or since then.

Lionel Messi, on the other hand, has won two more Ballon d'Or awards in the meantime. The current Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star won the prestigious Golden Ball in 2019 and 2021.

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What does the future lie for Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the current situation?

At the time of writing, both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have one year remaining on their respective contracts with PSG and Manchester United. However, both of them have contrasting futures ahead of themselves.

According to recent reports, PSG are keen to extend Lionel Messi's contract beyond his current tenure. The Parisian giants want Messi to stay at the Parc des Princes until the summer of 2024.

Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, is facing uncertainty over his future at Manchester United. The 37-year-old forward has informed the club about wanting to leave to compete in the UEFA Champions League.

According to Sky Sports, Ronaldo is back at the club after missing out on their pre-season tour to Thailand and Australia, citing family reasons. He is expected to hold talks with club officials and manager Erik ten Hag over his future.