Barcelona Legend David Villa Rekindles Cristiano Ronaldo Rivalry With an Unpopular Claim

Cristiano Ronaldo‘s historic rivalry with Lionel Messi sprouted when he played for Real Madrid and the latter played for FC Barcelona. But the Argentine was not Ronaldo’s only competition. During the 3 years he played for Barcelona, veteran striker David Villa also gave heavy competition to the current Al Nassr skipper. Villa’s competition with CR7 transcended the El Clasico at that time and lit up the already famous Spain-Portugal rivalry. In a gesture that could reignite the age-old rivalry, he comfortably overlooked Ronaldo’s famous strong point in a recent interview.

At the heart of this lesser-known rivalry to today’s generation is the fact that both stars are ruthless goalscorers. In his prime, Villa played similarly to CR7, always having an eye for a goal. Now, the Spaniard has not-so-subtly placed himself above Ronaldo in one unique aspect.

David Villa snubs Ronaldo while building his ‘perfect soccer player’

In a conversation with GOAL before the Match For Hope charity match in Qatar, David Villa laid bare his combination for the perfect soccer player. When asked about the ideal player’s left foot, he chose Messi. Then Villa said he considered Alphonso Davies’ speed ideal. He chose Marcos Llorente’s strength and Pedri’s skills. The Catalan club’s icon also revealed his ex-teammate Xavi’s IQ was the best. Villa snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo altogether. Furthermore, when asked about his perfect player’s right foot, the Spaniard chose himself without any hesitation.

The snub of CR7’s right foot is quite a surprise, as players such as Kai Havertz, time and again, hail that famous right foot as supreme. Anyhow, the ex-Barcelona striker put his powerful striking ability to work in the charity match. He scored an immaculate strike from outside the box for Team Aboflah against Team Chunkz. He found the net again to complete a brace. That was David Villa at his best. Speaking of the Spaniard’s prime, he once got the better of Ronaldo on the world’s greatest stage.

When Villa’s right foot crushed Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup dream

In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal faced David Villa and Spain in the RO16. Portugal’s star-studded frontline misfired. Spain also struggled to find the net initially. But in the 63rd minute, Villa rose to the occasion as a pure striker. He ran inside the box, beating Portuguese defenders to receive the ball for a perfect strike. He struck and got denied first, but mercilessly sent the rebound to the net, ending Portugal’s World Cup run.

READ MORE: Wayne Rooney Admits Real Madrid Signing Cristiano Ronaldo Left Him Insecure at Manchester United – “I Just Wanted The Answers”

Spain, on the other hand, went all the way, beating the Netherlands in the final to seize their one and only World Cup title. David Villa tied with the likes of Thomas Muller and Diego Forlan to emerge as the tournament’s top goal scorer with five goals.

What are your thoughts on the Villa-Ronaldo rivalry? Tell us in the comments.

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