Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has said that he is the "best player in history" after winning his fifth Ballon d'Or on Thursday.
Ronaldo picked up the award for the second year in a row to equal the record of Barcelona star Lionel Messi, and he said he does not believe any player is better than him.
He told France Football (h/t Goal's Robin Bairner): "I've never seen anyone better than me. I have always thought that. No footballer can do the things I can.
"There’s no player more complete than me. I play well with both feet, I’m quick, powerful, good with the head, I score goals, I make assists. There are guys who prefer Neymar or Messi. But I tell you: there’s no one more complete than me.
"No one has won as many individual trophies as me. And I’m not speaking just of the Ballon d’Or. That says something, doesn’t it?
"It’s not just a result of the work I do in the gym, like some people think. It’s the sum of many things. Legends like Floyd Mayweather [Jr.] and LeBron James don’t get to their perfect level by chance. Many factors coincide. To be at the top and to stay there, you have to have more talent than the others."
Ronaldo enjoyed a superb 2017, winning the Liga title as well as the UEFA Champions League. Madrid's victory over Juventus in the final ensured Los Blancos became the first club ever to retain the trophy in its modern format.
Ronaldo scored twice in the final, proving once again he is a man for the big occasion, and it is these achievements that saw him win the Ballon d'Or ahead of great rival Messi.
Opta also showed how he set yet another record in Europe on Wednesday:
6 - Cristiano Ronaldo is the first player to ever score in each of the six games of a #UCL group round (nine goals). Infallible.
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The Portugal international may be viewed as being brash, selfish and conceited, but it is these traits that have helped him become the player he is, according to football commentator Juan G. Arango:
Ask yourselves this question: If @Cristiano weren't the way he is... would he be as good a player? If he has Messi's attitude, would he be the player he is today? I strongly doubt it.
In contrast, Messi is seen as a modest, humble player who does not crave the limelight like Ronaldo, despite his status as one of the greatest players in the world.
Spanish football writer Andy West said that it is obvious that Messi is a better player than Ronaldo:
Stats are very useful in understanding and analysing sport, no doubt about it. But you don't need stats to know that Lionel Messi is better than Cristiano Ronaldo. You just need eyes.
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The Real Madrid star may have his work cut out if he is to move ahead of Messi and scoop his sixth Ballon d'Or.
The Argentinian has already scored 13 goals in 14 Liga games this season to lead Barcelona to the top of the table, while Ronaldo has just two from 10 games as his side lie fourth, eight points off the top.
