"The bad thing for Cristiano was that Messi was also there" - Former Manchester United attacker makes brutally honest confession on Ronaldo 

Former Manchester United star Antonio Valencia has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo was unlucky to have played in the same era as Lionel Messi, as per Diario Ole (via Roy Nemer). He subtly picked the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star as the better player between the two icons in their epic rivalry.

Valencia hung up his boots last year after a brief spell with Queretaro in Mexico. He sat down for an interview with the aforementioned publication, where he was asked a wide range of questions.

When asked how his experience of going up against the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner with the national team was, he praised the Argentine forward's attitude. He also spoke about the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry, stating that Cristiano Ronaldo had the bad fortune of having to play in the same time period as the former Barcelona superstar. He said:

"In the time of the Cristiano and Lionel Messi rivalry, the bad thing for Cristiano was that Messi was also there."

Valencia joined Manchester United in 2009, while Ronaldo left the club in the same transfer window to join Real Madrid. He did not get the opportunity to play alongside the Portuguese star.

Messi, on the other hand, was a regular opponent for Valencia when he played for the Ecuadorian national football team. Having faced the left-footed maestro a few times, may have made Valencia a tad biased towards Messi.

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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have endured contrasting fortunes in the 2022-23 season thus far

Lionel Messi has kicked off the 2022-23 season with a bang. In four games for PSG across all competitions, he has actively contributed to their wins, scoring four goals and picking up two assists in that period.

He was heavily criticized for his lack of goals last season, finding the back of the net just six times in Ligue 1, and will be looking to redeem himself this term.

Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, is without a goal or an assist in three Premier League games for Manchester United this season. He was left on the bench and played only nine minutes against Liverpool when United picked up their first win of the campaign, defeating the Merseysiders 2-1.

The former Real Madrid icon's future hangs in the balance and that might be impacting his on-field performance. Nonetheless, with the FIFA World Cup in Qatar less than three months away, he will need to be in top shape as he hopes to lead Portugal to their first-ever triumph in the competition.

Both players are without a trophy at the World Cup and the main event later this year might very well be their last appearance in the competition.