Cristiano Ronaldo: When Portuguese Superstar Called Himself the GOAT and Xavi Responded

• Cristiano Ronaldo once referred to himself as the GOAT and his sentiments irked Xavi
• The Portuguese superstar is still going strong in his football career aged 38
• He has five Ballon d’Ors, while his arch-rival Lionel Messi recently won his 8th accolade

Cristiano Ronaldo once irked Xavi so much with a comment on the greatest player of all time that the World Cup winner actually offered a response.

Ronaldo may have 99 problems on earth, but confidence is certainly not one of them as he has always publicly pointed out his achievements on the football pitch.

On the other hand, Ronaldo’s eternal rival Messi has always played down the rivalry, as he has never outrightly declared himself the greatest player ever.

Messi’s humility on the GOAT debate has always earned him plaudits among critics, but Ronaldo’s bold demeanor has always been a seller.

Who Zinedine Zidane picked between Messi and Ronaldo in GOAT debate

Football

Arguably, no remarks will ever be as outrageous as those made by Ronaldo when he won his fifth Ballon d’Or in 2017.

What Ronaldo said in 2017

In 2017, at the height of the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry, the latter was gunning for a fifth Ballon d’Or, and he was a heavy favourite, having won another Champions League title with Real Madrid.

As many people expected, Ronaldo went on to win the award which, at the time, tied him for five accolades with Messi.

But unlike his Argentine counterpart, Ronaldo daringly told France Football that he was the best player in football history, saying as per Bleacher Report:

"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."

Zlatan Ibrahimović, Thierry Henry and Neymar among the 10 greatest players never to win coveted Ballon d'Or

Football

Xavi claps back at Ronaldo

The comments did not sit well with Xavi, who had played more than a decade alongside Messi and enjoyed immense success.

"Messi does more things compared to Cristiano," Xavi said as cited on AS.

"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."

Xavi’s passionate defence of Messi continued: "Messi is the difference-maker and we always tried to give the ball to him in space with time to unbalance them. Messi is the player that makes the most difference in the world. It's more than obvious."

As reported on Tribuna.com, Ronaldo was never going to take Xavi’s comments lying down as he hit back by saying the Spaniard’s sentiments were not relevant since “he plays in Qatar”.

Eden Hazard: What Belgian superstar said about Mohamed Salah in 2019

Football

As fate would have it, the 2017 Ballon d’Or would be the last one Ronaldo would win to date.

Messi inspires Inter Miami academy

Sports Brief also reported on how Lionel Messi inspired the Inter Miami academy through his latest Ballon d’Or win.

The Argentina and Inter Miami forward beat competition from Manchester City's treble winner Erling Haaland and former Paris Saint-Germain teammate, Kylian Mbappe, to win the accolade at the 67th award ceremony in Paris.

Messi was given a heroic welcome by his Inter Miami teammates following his return to the United States.