Chess Champion Reveals How Real Madrid Forced Him To Say Cristiano Ronaldo Is Better Than Lionel Messi

• Norwegian chess legend Magnus Carlsen has revealed that he was told to say Cristiano Ronaldo was his favourite player
• The legendary chess player says he was interviewed by Real Madrid when he was asked to choose Cristiano Ronaldo instead of his favourite Isco
• The five-time World chess champion revealed he prefers PSG star Lionel Messi to Cristiano Ronaldo

World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen has reflected that Real Madrid chiefs forced him to say Cristiano Ronaldo is a better footballer than Lionel Messi.

The debate about who the best is between Ronaldo and Messi continues to linger on, with several sports personalities having their opinions on the two rivals.

Calsen, who reportedly has an IQ of 190, opened up in an interview with the Lex Fridman podcast on his opinion about who he really thinks is the greatest footballer of all time.

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"I think it’s pretty hard to make a case for anybody else than [Lionel] Messi for his all-round game," said Carlsén. "My Real Madrid fandom sort of predates the Ronaldo era – the second Ronaldo, not the first one [Ronaldo Nazario].

"I always liked Ronaldo but I always kind of thought that Messi was better. I went to quite a number of Madrid games and they’ve always been super helpful to me down there.

"The only thing is that they were going to do an interview and they were going to ask me who my favourite player was. I said somebody else, I think it was Isco at that point, and they were like: 'Okay, take two, now you say Ronaldo'. So for them, it was very important, but it wasn’t that huge to me."

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Carlsén, 31, has twice been given the honour of conducting an honorary kick-off at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Norwegian Chess legend took to the centre circle for Los Blancos' La Liga match against Real Valladolid in 2013 before repeating the accolade the following year versus Celta Vigo.

Lionel Messi Could Pass Cristiano Ronaldo’s Impeccable Champions League Record This Season

Sports Brief earlier reported that Lionel Messi will have a perfect opportunity to equal or pass Cristiano Ronaldo's impressive record in the Champions League this season.

The Paris Saint-Germain star has always been involved in a neck-to-neck battle with Ronaldo. Ronaldo has an edge in Europe's top club competition, but all that could change this season.

Ronaldo is facing the daunting prospect of failing to participate in the Champions League for the first time in over 15 years. Manchester United could only qualify for the Europa League and Ronaldo's attempts to leave the club or find another Champions League-playing club have so far been futile.