Cristiano
Ronaldo will try to outshine Lionel Messi on his return to Old Trafford
when the two best players in the world clash in a friendly between
Portugal and Argentina on Tuesday, AFP reports.
Real Madrid forward Ronaldo and Barcelona
striker Messi are locked in a battle to prove themselves the top player
on the planet and their latest showdown comes on the former home turf
of the Portugal icon.
Adding spice to their rivalry with
Spain’s two superpowers is the speculation that they aren’t on good
terms off the pitch either.
Whatever the status of their personal
relationship, the duo have deservedly become serial trophy collectors
over the last decade, with team and individual prizes hoovered up on a
regular basis.
Messi has won the Champions League three
times and Ronaldo twice, while Messi has six league titles in Spain and
Ronaldo three with Manchester United and one with Real.
Between them they have won the past six
coveted Ballon D’Or contests, awarded to the player voted the world’s
best by managers, players and journalists.
Argentina star Messi has been voted the winner four times in that period and has come second to Ronaldo the other two years.
Ronaldo hopes to add a third gong this
year, and few would disagree if he pipped Messi and several contenders
from the German World Cup winning team.
Ronaldo has 18 league goals already this
season, while Messi has — by his standards — a modest total of seven,
although he was voted player of the tournament at this year’s World Cup
Also in Ronaldo’s favour, he became the
record goalscorer in European Championship qualifying and tournament
history with his strike in a 1-0 victory over Armenia at the weekend.
That was his 23rd goal in the
competition, surpassing the previous high mark set by Jan Dahl Tomasson
of Denmark, and his 57th in 117 caps for Portugal.
“I have done what I have to do. I have
won major titles, I have beaten other records, and I now have to wait
calmly for the votes,” he said.
Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford will be his second since he left United for Madrid in 2009.
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