Cristiano Ronaldo has been brutally told there is “no comparison” between him and Lionel Messi in a scathing assessment of his time with Al-Nassr.
The Portuguese forward has had a long-running rivalry with the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner throughout his career. Their battle came to a head during Ronaldo’s time with Spanish giants Real Madrid, whilst Messi represented Barcelona.
That has continued since then and could be set for another chapter with Messi and Ronaldo closing in on a potential reunion. The latter has represented Saudi outfit Al-Nassr since December following his explosive exit from Manchester United. He could be joined in the Gulf state by Messi, who is on the lookout for a new club after his Paris Saint-Germain departure.
Ahead of a potential reunion, Ronaldo has been sent a message by former Al-Hilal coach Emiliano Diaz, who suggests that the Argentine is “light years” ahead of his great rival. Asked for his assessment of the pair by TyC Sports, he replied: "No, in no way, not as a footballer. There is no comparison.
“We have faced him [Ronaldo] less than three months ago and I went to see Leo at the World Cup. We are talking about light years of comparison. There is no comparison but the numbers support him, he is an animal. But at the level of quality of Leo [Messi] there is no comparison."
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Diaz was also highly critical of Ronaldo’s time with Al-Nassr so far. Since arriving in Saudi Arabia, the 38-year-old has scored 14 goals in 19 appearances in all competitions.
Diaz is not particularly convinced, however, and has argued Ronaldo’s lack of silverware and contributions against his former side Al-Hilal count against him. He added: "He had a hard time, we [Al-Hilal] faced him and had a good time.
“"He had a hard time. With the big clubs he made no difference. He scored three or four goals for the small clubs and I saw that they were talking about him here. He lost the Kings Cup, he lost the Super Cup and the tournament. In Asia he is not going to compete."
Reports had surfaced recently that Ronaldo could look for a route out of Saudi Arabia and was interested in a return to Real Madrid but has since confirmed that he is happy with Al-Nassr.
Speaking to SPL, he said: "I am happy here, I want to continue here, I will continue here. And in my opinion if they continue to do the work that they want to do here, for the next five years, I think the Saudi league can be a top five league in the world.
"I will be part of your world, your culture, I will be here, I hope I make the people enjoy through my games, my performance, and to win things, but again, thank you for welcoming me, and I will try to give my best during the time that I will be here."
