Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo has slammed Gary Lineker for thinking that Lionel Messi is better.
Ferdinand and Lineker were previewing Portugal’s Euro 2020 match with France on Wednesday when the conversation arose.
Ferdinand was Ronaldo’s teammate at Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson, and they dominated English football for the second half of the 2000s, winning several of Premier League titles, as well as the Champions League.
Ronaldo left Ferdinand when he moved to Real Madrid, and the Englishman has revealed what drives him to be the best in the world.
“It’s a great example to young players and he uses negativity as fuel. You’ve [Gary Lineker] said some things like your preference would be Messi out of the two,” he began on BBC.
“He will send me a text saying ‘I can’t believe he said that, can’t believe he’s done that’, He just uses anything [as fuel].
“You think, he’s done so much in his life, ‘why do you care about what anyone says about you. You know you’re the guy’. “It’s the competitive nature. That’s all it is. And you need that.”
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Ferdinand continued when he revealed how in awe of his former teammate he is: “After 30, we all sit in here, went down. He has gone on. Accelerated. Defies logic really.
“It’s down to commitment, a little bit of luck genetically as well. But he’s just a phenomenal football player, somebody who thinks of every little detail, aspect of the game to try to get every ounce of ability out of himself.”
Ronaldo gave Portugal the lead, and he broke yet another record in the process, before Karim Benzema fired France level from the spot.
