“It’s amazing, the people are crazy” – Ex-Premier League star, who once battled Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, on becoming Indonesian prince

Former Espanyol star Jordi Amat faced both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo during his time in La Liga. Amat, however, is the prince of an Indonesian region.

Amat's grandmother was the descendant of the 14th and 17th kings of Siau, Indonesia. Speaking about what she told him, Amat said (via talkSPORT):

“My grandmother told me a story when I was little that I was the crown prince of a region of Indonesia, “I am very happy and proud to be an Indonesian citizen and so is my family. I have no words to describe my feelings right now.”

Amat has also played for Swansea City during his career. The 31-year-old currently plays for Malaysia's Johor DT. While his teammates often refer to him as 'Price', Amat is very humble and never compares himself to kings.

He told El Dia Despues:

“I mean, don’t compare me to the princes and kings of Spain or England. Not at all, I don’t really know the functions or what it’s all about, but it will always be to help the people, in some way, to bring football to those islands.”

Amat is now an Indonesian citizen and has played for the national team six times in his career so far. He also spoke about the people's craze for football in the Indonesian islands.

Amat said:

“It’s a really beautiful island, that’s what they’ve told me. It has a volcano that erupts every day and then crystal clear waters. It’s a really untouched island. We’ll have to explore and see what we can help with. It’s a different culture, It’s amazing, the people are crazy. It’s religion and then football. All the fields in Indonesia are full.”

Amat was once quizzed by fans about which of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi he found tougher to face.

He replied on Instagram:

“Maybe Cristiano at his peak was tougher…”

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Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are still going strong at world football

FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2015

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi remain two of the most influential players in world football, despite their ages. Both superstars are past their mid-30s, as Ronaldo is 38 and Messi is closing in on 36.

Cristiano Ronaldo, however, has gotten on very well with life at Al-Nassr. Since making his debut in January for the Saudi Arabian club, Ronaldo has scored 11 goals and provided two assists in 13 matches for them.

Lionel Messi, meanwhile, has scored 20 goals and provided 19 assists in 35 matches for Paris Saint-Germain so far this season. The Argentine bagged an assist as PSG defeated Angers in their latest Ligue 1 clash by a score of 2-1.