Eurosport - Tue, 20 Oct 10:10:00 2009
Cristiano Ronaldo believes Barcelona play better football than his Real Madrid side and has tipped Lionel Messi to win the 2009 Ballon d'Or.
The Portugal winger, who joined Real Madrid from Manchester United for a world record 94 million euros in the close season, won the Ballon d'Or last year and was included in the 30-strong shortlist for the award formerly known as the European Footballer of the Year released on Sunday.
"Barcelona play better football (than Real), but why?" the 24-year-old told France Football magazine.
"Because they have been together for several seasons, not two months. Barca are better than us today but the real question is who will be in front at the end of the season?"
The winner of the Ballon d'Or will be announced on December 1 and Ronaldo said that while Xavi and Samuel Eto'o were strong contenders, Argentina's Messi was likely to be the recipient.
"He's the favourite. He won the Champions League, the (Spanish) league. Why not him? If he wins it, he will have deserved it."
Arguably the world's finest player when on song, Ronaldo has been hampered by injury at Real and is struggling to recapture the form he showed at Manchester United.
He said, however, that he was hungry for more titles and felt he had picked the right club to do that.
"I must do again all I managed to do at Manchester, win the Champions League, league and cup titles," he said.
"I'm convinced I'm in the right club to do that. I'm starting a new career, I feel like a baby."
Comment 1 - 20 of 20
goal for eto'o should be the Ballon d'or he can score and play defence, he scores nine goal for Cameroon.
Yah Ronaldo is spoken like a real man and a footboller who knows the level of his competiters, I think he is right, Barca is proving good but we gat to wait for the last wistle blow at the end of the sesson.
From Cliff KIU Medical student
Yah Ronaldo is spoken like a real man and a footboller who knows the level of his competiters, I think he is right, Barca is proving good but we gat to wait for the last wistle blow at the end of the sesson.
From Cliff KIU Medical student
same old sh..t...
Úgyis a Loki fog mindent megnyerni idén is, nem értem ezeket a cikkeket...
This is god's honest truth, last night for no reason whatsoever, I dreamed that ronaldo was sitting in a wheelchair.
it's all MINDGAMES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ryan slightly better is a soft expression!!!! is much better as we all know heading, shooting, running, stronger, free kicks etc etc The only thing I do agree is that Ronaldo is more individualist than Messi and he likes to show off more than Messi does. Messi plays more for his team but if we remeber corectly his goals are coming after solo efforts not team efforts (same as Ronaldo I may say). Feed the ball to me but he did score 47 in one season for MU and now 9 goals in 7 matches for RM!!!! To expect more I should be unfair!!!! We might have different views about the meaning of complete player: we were talikng about complete (his qualities, ability to score etc etc ) not about a team player. Maradona, Ronaldo Nazario da Lima, Pele even GOD himself (who created the world by himself) etc etc etc were all selfish players. Don't you think is the attibute for the greatest?!?!?!
It's the footballing performance of the individual over the course of a season that determines the winner of the best player award and not simply potential, past glory or possessing better physical attributes. So no doubt Messi would be a deserved winner- just look at his overall stats for Barca in 2008/2009 especially in a team containing world class performers like Eto, Xavi and Inesta. Also despite Argentina just scraping through Messi is on the plane to the World cup whereas Ronaldo has struggled with Portugual. In fact, they've won the last two games pretty well without him.
cosmin t, he might have slightly better physical attributes, but messi's mentality is better than ronaldo, remember in the champions league final how he always went for glory for himself, not for him, messi fits in his team, assisting as well as scoring, unlike ronaldo: "feed the ball to me and i'll score" (which he doesn't do usually), so messi is more of a complete player than ronaldo atm
thank you bob for your comments. Back to reality!!!! I was afraid I am from another planet but i believe there are still guys with a sense of reality and normality!!!! Maybe Barca, at this moment, is the better team (just one change in the first 11 Ibra vs Etoo), but I do trust that pellegrini knows the way to recapture the glory...... the season is long and until may many things can happen.....Hala Madrid!!!!
I think Messi deserves the winner of the Ballon d'Or. Ronaldo has spoken well without attaching any sentiment. Barca plays good football, that doesn't mean they will top the league at the end of the season. That was a mature comment from Ronaldo. Shola Bright. Nigeria Port Harcourt.
Half a brain?!?!?! you deserve your nickname!!!! are you making fun or what with that explanation of messi better than Ronaldo: ronaldo has more titles first, messi also does not defend don't tell me is like puyol!!!!! wtf!!!! we completely lost our minds to say messi is better???? Messi has only one leg, ronaldo plays with both, his effort capacity is much better, he scores with his head see the CL final (messi has done it only twice in his career) he is faster, he is stronger (body i mean). Personally i am not a big fan (on the contrary I am an Argentina fan) but we must face the truth!!!!!
Half a Brain, Ronaldo is a striker so he doesn't have to defend, tackle or fight for the ball. And yes, he is a more complete player than Messi. He's faster, stronger, better at shooting, better at heading, better at taking free kicks etc. Just because Messi can go past 2-3 players easily and has close control doesn't mean he's better than Ronaldo. But I admit, he had a good season last season but in all fairness, if United had won the Champions League Ronaldo would have won the Ballon D'Or again.
clement f, how could you even think that Ronaldo is more complete than Messi. Ronaldo is a forward who does not know how to defend. He is poor in in tackling. He does not fight to get the ball back. He seldom sits on the left side of the pitch, and he cannot dribble is small spaces. Messi can dribble in small space and has pace (although Ronaldo is faster). Messi is 10 times better than Ronaldo.
Seriously, why do sports journalists and commentators always say he is trying to re-capture his form. He has been playing well, better than kaka anyway...
I like the way he appears more humble in Real than he used to be in Manchester. Of course he couldn't be named humble in absolute terms with a straight face.
Ronaldo is a more complete player than Mess
"struggling to recapture the form he showed at Manchester United" - hasn't he scored 9 goals in 7 games?
ronaldo deserves to win nothing and yes i agree barca are a better team and will put real in there place once again this season
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