It’s the eternal debate in soccer: Who’s the best player in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi?

For Ronaldo, however, there is no debate.

In an interview with CNN’s World Sport, the Real Madrid superstar threw diplomacy out the window and flat-out said he’s better than his Barcelona nemesis.

“Some people say I’m better, other people say it’s him [Messi]. At the end of the day, they’re going to decide who the best player of the moment is. I think it’s me.”

Not surprising coming from one of soccer’s most arrogant divas, although Ronaldo was quick to note that he and Messi are two completely different players, making any comparisons useless at the end of the day.

“You cannot compare a Ferrari with a Porsche,” he said.

Statistically speaking, however, Messi came out on top this past season – at least as far as goals are concerned. Ronaldo scored 46 in all competitions (La Liga, Champions League, Copa del Rey) during the 2011-12 campaign, but “La Pulga” put up even better offensive numbers, tallying a mind-blowing 50 goals.

But while numbers don’t lie, they don’t tell the whole story. Ronaldo led Madrid to its first La Liga title in four years, a historical feat that set single-season records for most wins (32), points (100) and goals (121), and also put an end to a generation of domestic dominance by Barcelona.

“We played better than them this year”, Ronaldo said about Madrid turning the tables on the once-unbeatable Catalonia side.

“This is the most difficult league in the world, and to compete with Barcelona… is very complicated. And we beat them, nine points ahead [in the standings], so it was amazing.”

Ronaldo’s amazing year isn’t over, though, as he’ll captain Portugal at the Euro 2012 tournament next month. A strong performance would practically guarantee him the FIFA Ballon d’Or Award, considered the top individual prize a player can receive and which has gone the past two years to – you guessed it – Lionel Messi.

Source: NYDaily News, Youtube