Cristiano Ronaldo Great But Lionel Messi 'Unrepeatable,' 3-Time Ballon d'Or Winner Says

A three-time Ballon d’Or winner weighed in on the decade-long rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Ronaldo vs. Messi has been a debate for over a decade now. The pair has gone head-to-head for individual honours ever since 2008 and they have not shown any signs of slowing down.

Messi has won the most Ballon d’Ors and has scored a ridiculous 626 goals in 716 appearances for Barcelona. Ronaldo on the other hand, may have one fewer but he has owned the international stage and won league titles in three different countries as well as leading Portugal to two international trophies.

Though it’s hard to really conclude who the better player is between the two, it’s always vital whenever a soccer great makes his own comparison. That’s what three-time Ballon d’Or winner Marco van Basten did in a recent interview with Corriere della Sera. According to van Basten, Ronlado is a great player but Messi is “unrepeatable” and those fans who think Ronaldo is better than Messi “don't understand the sport.”

“Ronaldo is a great player. But those who claim that he is stronger than Messi do not understand football or are in bad faith,” van Basten said.

“Messi is unique. Inimitable and unrepeatable. Like him, one every fifty years. As a child, he fell into the pot of the football genius,” he added.

For the record, Messi and Ronaldo are still the best players given their age. As soon as they approached the new decade, “CR7” and “Leo” broke multiple records and have continued to rival against each other.

Messi’s latest hat-trick is the 48th of his stellar club-career and the feat sees him surpass Ronaldo who has a career hat-trick total of 47. However, though Messi was able to surpass Ronaldo in the club hat-trick standings, he is still just behind “CR7” in career hat-tricks across all competitions – 54 to 56.

Many are convinced that Ronaldo is no doubt being motivated by the return of his favorite competition – the Champions League. It is also believed that the Portuguese is hyped up about the prospect of the upcoming Euro 2020 tournament in the summer. However, reports claim that the success of his eternal rival Messi could be the real reason behind Ronaldo’s impeccable stint this year.

Since the Argentine won his sixth Ballon d'Or back in December 2, no player in the world has scored more goals than Ronaldo and he has also broken an array of records since then.