Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has hit out at Al-Nassr striker Cristiano Ronaldo over his “pre-planned” interviews with Lionel Messi much more respectful.
Ronaldo, who currently plays for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, won numerous trophies with Man Utd, Real Madrid and Juventus before choosing to leave Europe in 2022.
The Portugal legend has scored 789 goals in 1047 club career appearances and will go down as one of the best players to have ever lived.
Ronaldo left Manchester United in controversial circumstances at the end of 2022 during his second spell at the Premier League club with Erik ten Hag allowing him to leave and join Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr.
The Al-Nassr star recently declared himself the “most complete player to have existed” in an interview with friend Edu Aguirre.
Ronaldo said: “I’m talking about numbers. I think I’m the most complete player to have existed. In my opinion, I think it’s me. I do everything well in football: with my head, free kicks, left foot. I’m fast, I’m strong. One thing is taste — if you like Messi, Pelé, Maradona, I understand that and I respect that — but saying Ronaldo isn’t complete … I’m the most complete. I haven’t seen anybody better than me, and I say it from the heart.”
Carragher was far from impressed by Ronaldo’s comments and accused him of always pre-planning his interviews to make sure he knows what he’s getting asked.
The Liverpool legend said on Amazon Prime: “It’s embarrassing…he’s one of the greats and he doesn’t have to do interviews every month to say it himself. All the interviews are pre-planned and you know the questions he will be asked. It’s ridiculous that he let his friends pressure him to say these things.”
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On the difference between Ronaldo and Messi, Carragher continued: “I’ve seen Messi’s interviews and he always only talks about his family, his clubs past and present and the national team.”
But former Liverpool defender Carragher did hail Ronaldo’s ability with Gary Neville telling him that the Portugal superstar was one of “two genuinely world-class players” the right-back played with at Man Utd.
Carragher added: “Gary Neville once told me he felt he only ever played with two genuinely world-class players in his Manchester United career. One was Cristiano Ronaldo. The other was Schmeichel. That is how fundamental he (Schmeichel) was to United’s success.”
Speaking in 2006, Sir Alex Ferguson picked out five world class players who have played under him at Man Utd with Ronaldo left out due to only breaking through at the time.
Ferguson said: “In my time I’ve been blessed with several world class players. Peter Schmeichel was certainly one, and Ryan Giggs for me, definitely. Eric Cantona could have been even better, but for the parts of him you had to control. Wayne Rooney, that’s four. Then there’s Roy Keane, that’s five.
“And I think Cristiano Ronaldo is going to be. He’s playing in the hardest position, out wide, and never refuses to take the ball and attack players. And there’s an argument for Paul Scholes, the cleverest midfield player we’ve ever had. To work with such people has been an absolute pleasure. It’s fulfilled every aspiration.”
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