The debate over who is the greatest footballer of all time has returned with Cristiano Ronaldo once again saying that Lionel Messi is not better than him.

 

In an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, the Portuguese superstar, who currently plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, confidently placed himself above the Inter Miami forward.

 

In a teaser for the interview, Morgan asks Ronaldo whether Messi is better than him. The 39-year-old instantly replied, “Is Messi better than me? I disagree. I don’t want to be humble.”

 

As he nears the final years of his career, Ronaldo has set his sights on scoring 1,000 professional goals, a record no player has ever achieved.

 

Despite his bold claim, Ronaldo has often expressed respect for Messi. He has praised the Argentine on multiple occasions, once mentioning that they share a cordial relationship and that he would like to have dinner with him someday.

 

The full interview, which will explore Ronaldo’s rivalry with Messi and other moments from his life, will be released next Tuesday.

 

The two legends dominated football’s biggest stage for over 17 years, battling for Ballon d’Or titles and goal-scoring records as well as European championships.

 

With his latest brace for Al Nassr, Ronaldo now has 952 professional goals, sitting just 48 away from his 1,000-goal target. Messi, on the other hand, reached 891 goals after scoring in Inter Miami’s recent match against Nashville, trailing Ronaldo by 61 goals in their long-running race.

 

While fans remain divided over who is better, Messi is the only among the two to have won a World Cup for his country.