Patrice Evra has highlighted Cristiano Ronaldo's work ethic as the main reason he would pick the Portugal attacker as the better player over Lionel Messi.
The duo have battled it out to be crowned football's greatest player for more than a decade, with the pair racking up an astonishing amount of records. Both have won multiple Ballon d'Ors, with Messi taking home seven to Ronaldo's five.
Messi also led Argentina to lifting the World Cup in December, a feat Ronaldo has been unable to achieve with Portugal. But Evra does not believe that difference is important, as he explained why he would always select Ronaldo over the PSG superstar.
"I want to explain why I say Ronaldo every time. It's not because he's our brother, it's because I'm in love with work ethic. I feel like Messi, god just gave him a talent and said 'go to play with those skills'," Evra told Vibe with Five.
"And Cristiano had to work for it. Even if he had the talent, he had to work for it. If Messi had the same work ethic as Ronaldo, Messi would probably have like 15 Ballon d'Ors today. But Ronaldo, I'm just in love with people working hard so that's why I pick Cristiano.
"I know after the World Cup, they say the GOAT is Messi or whatever, but Ronaldo is a different level. They've both like, I don't want to compare them, like if someone picked Messi, I would agree with them.
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"We have a different preference, we have a different opinion. We just have to be blessed and grateful. We play with those players and we see those players, they're still playing, that's it. There's no wrong answer."
Ronaldo has previously spoken fondly of Messi and their shared rivalry over more than a decade. And he insisted that their long battle against each other pushed them to ever greater heights.
"I really admire the career he has had so far. And, for his part, he has already said that he had trouble when I left the Spanish league because it is a rivalry that he appreciates," he said in 2021.
"It is a good rivalry that exists in football, but this is no exception. Michael Jordan had rivals in basketball, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were great rivals in Formula One. The only common point between all the big rivalries in the sport is that they are healthy.
"We have shared the stage for 15 years. I don't know if that's happened before - the same two guys on the same stage all the time. Of course, we have a good relationship.
"We haven't had dinner together yet, but I hope in the future. We had that battle in Spain. I pushed him and he pushed me as well. So it's good to be part of the history of football."
