"Lionel Messi is not Argentine, Cristiano Ronaldo is not Portuguese" - Brazil defender Marquinhos makes incredible claim on legendary attackers

Brazil defender Marquinhos recently made an incredible claim about superstar attackers Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Marquinhos claimed that the duo are not limited by their nationality. Rather, they are assets to cherish for the entire footballing world. Here's what the Paris Saint-Germain defender said (via MARCA):

"I think what happens with these players is that Messi is not Argentine, Cristiano is not Portuguese...they go further than that. They are a privilege for football. For the people who love this sport, the tournaments, the competition, They're a treasure. They don't just belong to their countries.

"We all enjoy their presence, watching them play. I've played with Neymar, with Messi, and I benefit from their presence. Life goes on, other generations will come, but we must enjoy it as much as we can."

Neymar Jr. is another superstar apart from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo who is celebrated across the globe. However, the iconic Brazil attacker has been ruled out for the remainder of the group stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup after sustaining an injury in the opening matchday against Serbia.

Marquinhos said regarding his international and club teammate's fitness:

"We need time to digest it. Neymar was sad, because he dreamed about this a lot. Now he is working 24 hours a day to recover and be ready as soon as possible. We don't know how long it will take, but I hope he is ready as soon as possible. I see him with a lot of confidence for his recovery, I wish we could have Neymar and Danilo.

"I wish we could have all of them at 100%, but we are ready and we are confident. We want to show that our group is ready for any difficulty that comes our way in the World Cup."

Brazil will take on Switzerland in their final Group G game on Monday, November 28

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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have gotten off to great starts at the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have gotten off to great starts in their 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign. Messi has scored in both games for Argentina, against Saudi Arabia and Mexico, while also bagging an assist against the latter.

Ronaldo also managed to get on the scoresheet as he converted from the penalty spot during his team's 3-2 win against Ghana. He will look to repeat that feat when Portugal take on Uruguay on Monday.

In the process, Ronaldo became the first man to score in five editions of the FIFA World Cup, while Messi became the first to assist in five editions.