‘Cristiano Is Not Skillful,’ This Brazil Star Believes Lionel Messi, Ronaldo Aren't Better Than Himself

Brazil great, Edilson, reportedly has picked a player who he thinks is better than the duo of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Edilson has said the likes of Messi, Ronaldo and even Neymar are not as good as he was during his playing days. During an interview with TV Bandeirantes, the World Cup winner explained why he thinks these players have not matched his standards.

While Edilson did not win a Ballon d’Or award and spent only a brief time in Europe when he was on loan at Benfica, but he did have a significant role in Brazil.

Even though the striker made just 21 appearances for Brazil, his CV has the triumph in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He even clinched four league titles across his spells with Brazilian clubs, Palmeiras and Corinthians. The 48-year-old has said these achievements allow him to go on par with the likes of Messi and Ronaldo.

Edilson has slammed Ronaldo for not being skillful enough and in the case of Messi and Neymar, the former player dismissed them for not winning a World Cup for their respective countries as yet.

“At my best, I played better than Neymar. He needs to win the World Cup in order to be better than me. I have personality and for Messi to be better than me, he also has to win the World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo is just strength, he strikes the ball well with both feet but I’m more skillful than him,” Edilson, who called it quits in 2010, explained further.

Messi and Ronaldo have solely dominated soccer over the last decade or so. They have won 11 Ballon d’Or awards between them and have made and shattered several individual records in the process.

While Messi has achieved his success only on the club level, Ronaldo has also managed to win two major trophies with Portugal. Ronaldo’s Portugal won the Euro 2016 before clinching the inaugural edition of the UEFA Nations League by defeating the Netherlands in the final in 2019. Meanwhile, Messi has only managed three losses in the final – defeats in two consecutive Copa America finals and the heartbreaking loss in the FIFA World Cup 2014 final to Germany.