Cristiano Ronaldo Does Not Think Lionel Messi is Among the Best Soccer Players of 2021

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have shared the biggest stage in football for fifteen years now. Both of them have continued to break record after record and haven’t slowed down, even in their final few seasons at the top level of the game.

Naturally, after all of their battles against each other, the two have a lot of respect for each other and while they are not friends, there’s a healthy camaraderie that can exist between two colleagues. However, this camaraderie was conspicuous by its absence in their votes for the Best awards this season.

Ronaldo and Messi’s votes for The Best Men’s players

Each player gets three votes where they have to place their choices in order of their brilliance. Ronaldo utilized his first vote to choose Bayern Munich star, Robert Lewandowski. His second and third picks were Chelsea duo Ngolo Kante and Jorginho. However, he did not vote for Lionel Messi, or even his former teammate, Karim Benzema.

On the other hand, Messi’s votes were even more bizarre. He changed clubs this season and joined Paris Saint Germain after spending over 20 years at FC Barcelona, and this was evident in his votes.

Messi’s first choice was his teammate Neymar Jr., who was also present during his peak years at Barca. His second choice was another teammate Kylian Mbappe, who might join Real Madrid next season. His third and final pick was Real Madrid superstar Karim Benzema, who has been on fire this season.

 The FIFA FIFPRO men’s World XI includes Cristiano Ronaldo

Regardless of their votes, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were both present in the best eleven players for the year. Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski were both the starting strikers on the team. The team shape was weird as the players were placed in a 3-3-4 formation.

Kevin De Bruyne, Kante, and Jorginho made up the midfield, and David Alaba, Ruben Dias, and Leonardo Bonucci were the defenders. PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma was the goalkeeper in the team.

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