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Former Barcelona player and manager Xavi Hernandez once gave his opinion on Cristiano Ronaldo branding himself as the 'best player in history.' The Portuguese superstar made the claim after winning his fifth Ballon d'Or in 2017.
The 'Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi' debate has been the focal point of most footballing discourses over the last two decades. The two are considered the best to have ever played the sport, as they established an unrivaled duopoly over the Ballon d'Or, football's biggest individual award, for more than a decade. While Ronaldo has won the coveted award five times, Messi holds the record with eight titles.
In an interview with France Football after winning the 2017 Ballon d'Or, Cristiano Ronaldo claimed that no one could do things that he did. He said (as per The Independent via One Football):
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"I don't see anyone better than me. No player does things that I cannot do myself, but I see things others can't do. There's no more complete player than me. I'm the best player in history - in the good and the bad moments."
When asked about Ronaldo's comments, Xavi said (via AS, published on December 20, 2017):
"Messi does more things compared to Cristiano. Messi is the best. If Cristiano considers himself the best player in history, that's fine, but those of us who see him train, there is no comparison. Messi is the best in history and we don't see it any other way."
Messi and Xavi were teammates at Barcelona since their teenage days. Together, they played 399 games, registering 42 joint-goal participations. While the Spaniard assisted 34 of Messi's goals, the diminutive Argentine returned the favor eight times.
"He has not won a single Ballon d'Or" - When Cristiano Ronaldo slammed Xavi for saying he didn't deserve the 2016 Ballon d'Or
Cristiano Ronaldo had a go at Barcelona legend Xavi after the latter criticized the Portuguese superstar's Ballon d'Or win in 2016. Ronaldo claimed his fourth Ballon d'Or in 2016 after a stellar season with Real Madrid. Los Blancos won their record-extending 11th Champions League title in 2016, with Ronaldo scoring 16 goals and four assists in 12 games.
Overall, he registered 51 goals and 15 assists in 48 games across competitions in the 2015-16 season and captained his national team to Euro 2016 glory, his maiden international trophy with Portugal.
In an interview with TV3 (via beIN SPORTS) in December 2016, Xavi raised questions about Cristiano Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or claims, saying:
"They counted the major trophies, but there are other years in which they didn't use that to award the best player in the world. Leo Messi is the best despite the trophies that someone else might have won."
This drew an angry response from the talismanic Portuguese, who said:
"Everyone knows that anyone who wants to make the front pages has to talk about me. Xavi has not won a single Ballon d'Or. I have won three."
Ronaldo won his fifth Ballon d'Or in 2017 before leaving Real Madrid to play for Italian giants Juventus.
