Cristiano Ronaldo has made his feelings very clear with his viral response to a footballer claiming he was told to ‘lie’ about the best player in the world.

Lionel Messi and Ronaldo have constantly been in a battle to be acknowledged as the best current player and greatest footballer of all time. While the former is often given that crown, especially after lifting the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo certainly has his avid supporters.

The pair have 13 Ballon d’Or awards between them, as they dominated world football for two decades. Ronaldo has been open about the fact he puts himself ahead of any other footballer to grace the hallowed turf.

‘I Openly Lied’ – Barcelona Forced Messi Agenda

In a 2025 episode of the UNSCRIPTED podcast, former Barcelona midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng revealed he was told he had to back Messi in the debate, despite being a Real Madrid and Ronaldo fan.

“I always said I wanted to play for Real Madrid,” the Ghanaian said in a clip that resurfaced on Instagram. He went on to label Ronaldo his favourite player, saying:

As soon as he joined Barca on loan in 2019, the ex-Tottenham man was told that would have to change: “Signing for Barcelona, they said to me, ‘Your favourite team is Barcelona and your favourite player, the best player in the world is Lionel Messi’. They said, ‘You have to otherwise you can’t play here, it is impossible.’

“And I know it happened to other players as well. And I sat there at the press conference, the first question was ‘Who’s the best player in the world?’ and I said ‘Lionel Messi.’ I openly lied.”

Ronaldo Makes Feelings Clear on Messi ‘Lie’

Ronaldo, who is preparing for his sixth World Cup with Portugal, spotted the clip online and could not resist commenting. He may have just left a comment of four laughing emojis, but that in itself speaks volumes.

His reply gathered almost 600 million likes. Boateng is clearly on the Portuguese icon’s side in the never-ending debate, and that’s obviously true when it comes to millions of fans around the globe.

If he can get his hands on the World Cup trophy, you bet the 41-year-old will be screaming from the rooftops that there’s has never been a greater player in the history of the sport. And Portugal happen to be among the favourites.

At the 1994 World Cup, there was no better player than Romario. The iconic striker was awarded the Golden Ball as the most valuable player of the tournament, having fired Brazil to glory.

That was the crowning moment in an astonishingly good career, which saw him also win Copa America twice with the Selecao, as well as major honours at club level with Vasco da Gama, PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, and Flamengo. All that is more than enough to make him one of the greatest strikers of all time.

Romario certainly believes that he deserves to be regarded among the very best. In fact, the striker ranked his six best footballers in history, and placed himself in the group.

Speaking to The Guardian in the build-up to the 2026 World Cup, Romario revealed his greatest footballers of all time. He said:

Most people would likely agree that the likes of Argentine duo Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi deserve to be in the conversation; the same goes for Cristiano Ronaldo. Of course, Brazilian hero Pele is also always in that group of all-time greats.

That just leaves Ronaldo and Romario to make up the six. The legendary duo formed a feared partnership, referred to as the Ro-Ro duo, and fired Brazil to silverware at the 1997 Copa América in Bolivia, where they scored a combined eight goals. Sadly, fitness issues meant the older player didn’t feature at the 1998 World Cup, and he was also left at home in 2002 (although by then he was 35 years of age).

Most fans would rank Ronaldo as the better player, although those who watched Romario in his prime would likely consider him to be at the same elite level as a goalscorer.

Romario Unbothered by ‘Lazy’ Criticism Across His Career

Despite being a true great, Romario did not pass through his career without his fair share of criticism. He was notably not the biggest fan of training and didn’t always appear to put in a lot of effort.

On this topic, he remained as staunch as ever in his own defence. “Romario was lazy,” he said, repeating a regular accusation. “Romario didn’t practise the way many people thought I should train. But I scored goals.

“I was a force to be reckoned with on the pitch and screw the rest. They had to put up with me. Anyone who didn’t like it had to put up with it.”

Self-belief is certainly a huge tool when used correctly in football, and it’s that sort of attitude that perhaps explains why Romario was able to make it right to the top of the sport. With 55 goals in 70 international appearances, Brazil could certainly use a striker of his quality at the 2026 World Cup.

Some Premier League clubs are set to rake in eye-watering figures due to their players taking part in the upcoming 2026 World Cup.

The likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool could make millions after releasing their players to represent their countries. According to the Daily Mail, FIFA will distribute a staggering £187m windfall to clubs around the world with players participating.

Figures released by football’s governing body reportedly show that each club can expect a minimum fee of £3,700 for each player per day. So the final figure every club will receive depends on how far their players get in the competition. We’ve decided to take a look at how much money every Premier League team can expect to rake in based on the number of their stars that have been called up.

Premier League Clubs Set to Earn World Cup Fortune

Clubs were legally required to release their players on May 25. The team currently raking in the most money per day from their star men simply being involved at the World Cup is Manchester City.

The Citizens have 19 representatives at the United States, Canada and Mexico-based competition. The likes of Erling Haaland, Ruben Dias and Nico O’Reilly are contributing towards over £70,000 per day being added to the club’s coffers.

Arsenal are making just shy of £60,000 every 24 hours due to their 16 players being in action. Meanwhile, Manchester United, Crystal Palace and Liverpool are all making over £40,000 daily.

Tottenham and Chelsea have just eight players each at this year’s World Cup, but they’ll still receive £29,600. At the bottom end of the scale, Brentford, Everton, Leeds and recently relegated West Ham will make the lowest sum. The quarter will be paid £14,800 as compensation for their four players making it to the biggest international stage.

How Much Each Player Can Earn For Their Club

FIFA’s rule says that clubs must release their players on May 25 at the very latest. With the first set of groups ending on June 25, the shortest time any player can spend at the competition is 32 days (including the day after they are knocked out).

That means the minimum an individual can generate for their club would be £118,400. That’s a staggering amount and would mean Man City are in line for at least £2,249,600.

If any player reached the final, they’d be active at the World Cup for 56 days. That would be £207,200 in their club’s pocket. They may not be happy about disrupted pre-season plans, but Premier League sides won’t complain at their own earnings.