"If you ask me, Cristiano, is it a dream to win the World Cup? No, it's not a dream," Ronaldo, 40, said to Piers Morgan in an interview clip that was aired as a trailer to the full interview that will be released later on Thursday. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner considers it unjust that one single tournament should define a player's career."
""Define what?" the Al Nassr captain said. "To define if I'm one of the best of the history, to win one competition, [of] six games, seven games. You think it's fair?" Ronaldo, who won four of his five Champions League titles with Real Madrid, has faced constant comparisons with Lionel Messi throughout his career. Former Barcelona star Messi, a record eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, recently said that lifting the 2022 World Cup with Argentina after several failed attempts was "the dream of my life.""
""Is Messi better than me? I disagree. I don't want to be humble," Ronaldo said. Ronaldo has enjoyed many achievements with his national team. He captained Portugal to Euro 2016 glory, and to the inaugural UEFA Nations League three years later and again this summer. He is the only player to have featured in six European Championships and is the record goal scorer in the history of the competition with 14 goals."
Cristiano Ronaldo has 952 career goals and 143 international goals and holds five Ballon d'Or awards. The World Cup remains the only major trophy missing from his career, but he maintains that winning it is not a dream and that a single tournament of six or seven games should not determine a player's place in history. Ronaldo rejects comparisons decided by one competition and disputes assertions that Lionel Messi is definitively better. He captained Portugal to Euro 2016 and to two Nations League titles, has appeared in six European Championships, and holds the competition scoring record with 14 goals. He is expected to captain Portugal if they qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the United States.
Read at ESPN.com
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