Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Ex-Man Utd player makes big claim | OneFootball

Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra claims that Lionel Messi would have won 15 Ballon d’Or accolades if he had the same work ethic as Cristiano Ronaldo.

Even though Messi has won a remarkable seven Ballon d’Or awards and cemented his status as arguably one of the greatest footballers of all time by winning the FIFA World Cup in Qatar last year, Evra believes that Ronaldo, who now plays his football in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr after seeing his contract terminated by Man United last November following his infamous bombshell interview with Piers Morgan, should be ranked higher than Messi in football’s list of all-time greats.

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Evra, who was at United during Ronaldo’s first spell at the Old Trafford outfit, believes that it is the Portuguese’s work ethic that sets him apart from Messi, and speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s YouTube Channel FIVE, the former French international also explained why he admires the former Real Madrid striker more than the Paris Saint-Germain star.

What has Evra said about Messi vs Ronaldo?

"I want to explain why I say Ronaldo every time. It's not because he's our brother, it's because I'm in love with work ethic

"I feel like Messi, God just gave him a talent and Cristiano had to work for it. He had the talent, but he had to work for it.

"If Messi had the same work ethic as Ronaldo, he would probably have like 15 Ballons d'Or today. I'm just in love with people working hard so that's why I pick Ronaldo over Messi."

The Argentina international was crowned the best men’s player at the 2022 The Best FIFA awards after enjoying a stellar 2022 in which he helped his country lift the World Cup after an engrossing final against France, which saw the La Albiceleste win 4-2 on penalties to clinch a third World Cup triumph.

Many believe that because of his exploits at the World Cup finals in Qatar, it means that he is likely to win an astonishing eighth Ballon d’Or.

Even though Messi’s achievements are breathtaking, it should not discard the achievements of Ronaldo, who himself has won the Ballon d’Or five times, however, because he is now playing in Saudi Arabia, it is unlikely that he will challenge for the accolade this year.

Messi was part of the PSG team that were eliminated from the Champions League at the round of 16 stage after they lost 3-0 on aggregate to Bayern Munich, who beat the French side 2-0 at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night, whilst Ronaldo, who has scored eight goals in six appearances since his move to Al-Nassr, will be hoping to continue his excellent form when his side takes on Al-Ittihad tonight in the Saudi Pro League.