"Messi is still by far the best in his country" – Real Madrid-bound Endrick makes Cristiano Ronaldo v Lionel Messi comparison

Real Madrid-bound Endrick has lavished praise on Argentina legend Lionel Messi, claiming that he has a different playing style to Portugal great Cristiano Ronaldo.

During a recent interview with TNT Sports Brasil, Endrick was queried to share his two cents on the unending debate involving the Inter Miami man and the Al-Nassr ace. He replied (h/t X/@AlbicelesteTalk):

"Messi is still by far the best in his country. Playing with him? Of course, which forward wouldn't want to have his dribbling and passing at his side? He is very different. He has another style, he is at the same level as Cristiano Ronaldo, and that's why he has already been chosen as the best in the world several times."

Messi, who has eight Ballon d'Or honors to his name, is set to represent Argentina at the 2024 Copa America later this month. He will next be in action for his national team in a friendly against Ecuador on June 9.

Ronaldo, on the other hand, is currently with the Portugal national team, preparing for the 2024 UEFA European Championship. He is likely to be rested in Portugal's friendly encounter against Finland on June 4.

Pundit names star who can emulate Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in his career

Speaking to betting website Genting Casino, former France star William Gallas backed Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe to break or even equal a number of footballing records. He said (h/t GOAL):

"I think Kylian Mbappe can reach the heights of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Kylian will want to be the best and it will be on his mind. [They] set good examples for him, so he will want to break all of their records. When you have that mentality, you have to work hard in the long term. With his ability, he can stay very long at a high level and he can certainly get close to the two legends."

During their respective time in Europe, Lionel Messi contributed 704 goals and 338 assists in 853 outings and Cristiano Ronaldo registered 701 goals and 223 assists in 949 games. Mbappe, on the other hand, has bagged 283 goals and laid out 124 assists in 368 matches across competitions for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and AS Monaco so far.

Meanwhile, Mbappe was unveiled as a Real Madrid star earlier this Monday (June 3). The 25-year-old has signed a five-year contract and will earn an annual salary of between €15 million and €20 million.