"You should enjoy them" - Barcelona star Joao Felix says Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo should 'never be compared'
Barcelona forward João Felix has shared his opinion on the comparison of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi following the enviable heights attained by the duo. For most of the 21st century, both players have strived to outdo each other, and are unanimously considered as two of the greatest footballers ever.
The rivalry between Ronaldo and Messi began in the late 2000s, and the duo have carried on since then, winning a combined 13 Ballon d'Or crowns. The former has won five while the latter has won eight. Their success has inevitably brought about comparisons, some of which have been encouraged by the players themselves.
For a player like João Felix, the choice of a 'GOAT' is not an easy one, seeing as he holds ties with both players. The Barcelona forward has played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in the Portuguese national team. Moreover, he has recently starred for Barcelona, where Lionel Messi's legacy is evergreen.
In an interview with Bojan Krkic via Twitch, the versatile forward revealed that he believes both players should not be compared with one another. He hailed them for their contribution to the game and hammered on the difficulty of choosing one over the other.
He said:
"Messi and Cristiano should not be compared. You should enjoy them. Choosing one of them is very difficult. They both did very good things that will not be repeated."
Atletico Madrid loanee Felix is enjoying his time on loan at Barcelona and has become a key player for La Blaugrana this season. The 24-year-old has featured 35 times across all competitions, finding the net nine times and providing six assists.
Barcelona are thought to be satisfied with the contribution of the Portuguese international this season. The forward may be considered on loan for another season, as the Spanish champions cannot finance a permanent deal.
Cristiano Ronaldo soars ahead of Lionel Messi with glut of goals in Saudi
Cristiano Ronaldo moved further ahead of rival Lionel Messi after scoring two successive hat-tricks to take his number of hat-tricks to 65. The 39-year-old scored thrice against Al-Tai in a 5-1 win before following it up with another treble in the 8-0 win over Abha.
Lionel Messi is not far behind, having scored 57 hat-tricks in his illustrious career so far. The 36-year-old, however, has a better rate of scoring hat-tricks in his career than his counterpart. He has registered one every 18.5 games compared to Ronaldo's one in 18.7 games.
Despite his age, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to break new grounds at Al-Nassr, as his back-to-back hat-trick performance was a first in his career. The Portuguese superstar has scored an astonishing 36 goals and registered 12 assists in only 35 appearances across all competitions this season.