Premier League Star Reportedly Better Than Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo Reveals Secret To Greatness

A Premier League rising star who has been ranked above soccer all-time greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo revealed what motivates him to always be at his best form.

Messi and Ronaldo are still the two biggest names in modern day soccer. However, just like with any other sport, there is always someone who will emerge as the future of the game. This was apparently what a fresh report by the International Centre for Sports Studies suggests.

Transcripted by GhanaWeb.com, the recent list has ranked Ghana’s Jordan Ayew above Juventus forward Ronaldo and six-time Ballon d’OR winner Messi. According to the CIES, the Crystal Palace forward outperformed the two soccer icons last month based on their set criteria which include shooting, change creation, distribution, rigour, recovery and take on.

Ayew was the highest-rated African and one of two Premier League players to make the top 10. At Seventh place, Ayew garnered a rating of 94.0 to top Messi and Ronaldo whose performances for Barcelona and Juventus respectively was not enough to earn them spots in the top 10. The 28-year-old was listed alongside Premier League’s aces Bayern Munich trio of Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry, Juan Cuadrado of Juventus and Arsenal’ captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

To date, Ayew has played 30 games in all competitions this season, netting eight Premier League goals as Crystal Palace lie 11th on the table. But what’s even more interesting about Ayew is his unique way of staying motivated. In a recent interview with Ghan Soccernet, Ayew said that he has attributed his form to his believe in God.

"I just want to continue to always thank God. I’m a big believer in God; I pray a lot. I think it is something everyone has their own decision on – it is a personal thing,” Ayew said.

"I am a big believer because I am in a family where we believe a lot in Allah and it is a positive thing,” Ayew added.

Meanwhile, Messi and Ronaldo also made a huge drop in the list of most valuable players in the world.

Messi, who once the most valuable player in the world, now had fallen eight spots with his current value being $156 million. Aside from not having the best season of his career, Messi’s value may have declined because his Barcelona contract is running out and he is set to turn 33 in June.

Ronaldo on the other hand, failed to make the top 10 despite an impressive goal scoring stint since the start of the year.