Real Betis Star Hails Messi As the Best Player in the World, Not Bellingham

• Aitor Ruibal claims Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi is still the world’s best player
• Ruibal scored the equaliser as Real Betis held Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw on Saturday
• Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or crown in December

Real Betis star Aitor Ruibal do not rate any footballer better than Argentina icon Lionel Messi, not even Real Madrid’s latest sensation, Jude Bellingham.

Ruibal and Bellingham squared off on Saturday, December 9, as Real Betis put a dent on Real Madrid’s La Liga chances after holding the Spanish giants to a 1-1 draw with both players on the scoresheet.

Speaking after the game, Ruibal was asked whether Bellingham is the best player in the world, but the Real Betis star blatantly acknowledges no player is better than Messi so long he remains active, Barca Universal reports.

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“It is true that he is one of the best right now and at his age, he is surely among the best ones here, if not already. As long as Messi is active, I cannot say that anyone is better than him.”

Messi won the famous Ballon d'Or award earlier this year, defeating other top stars such as Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, while Bellingham is having a fantastic season, having already contributed 20 goals in 18 Real Madrid matches.

Bellingham trolls Real Betis fans

Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham aimed a dig at Real Betis supporters after sharing a kiss at them while celebrating his 16th goal of the season in 18 games for Real Madrid, GOAL reports.

The 20-year-old midfielder angered the home fans with his goal celebrations after giving Los Blancos the lead in the 53rd minute in an entertaining game at the Estadio Benito Villamarin.

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Aitor Ruibal would level the scores 13 minutes later, much to the delight of the over 50,000 spectators in the stadium, as Real Madrid suffered a huge blow to their La Liga title chances.

Jude Bellingham could undergo surgery

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti feels surgery cannot be ruled out if Jude Bellingham’s shoulder issues flare up, which could rule him out for a significant part of the season.

The 20-year-old midfielder, who is enjoying a fantastic campaign in his first season with Los Blancos, suffered a dislocated shoulder prior to the international break in November and is yet to fully recover.

Ancelotti fears surgery might be an option Bellingham will need to undergo to fix the midfielder’s shoulder problems permanently if they come up again.