5 Cristiano Ronaldo interview bombshells - Lionel Messi opinion, sly digs, transfer revelation

Cristiano Ronaldo had quite the seismic agenda in his bombshell interview where Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe were topics of discussion. The Portuguese legend conducted the wide-ranging exchange with the Spanish TV show El Chiringuito days before his 40th birthday, which he celebrates on Wednesday. Talking to Edu Aguirre, the pair hit on numerous topics, including his opinion on his Argentine rival, who he took on head-to-head for almost a decade during their time in Spain.

The Al-Nassr striker - who is currently on 923 goals for his career - opened up about the prior possibility that he may have been team-mates with the Inter Miami superstar if it wasn't for Manchester United's intervention back in 2003. Ronaldo certainly has experience with breaking the internet with interviews following his hugely publicised TV chat with Piers Morgan in 2022 that led to his departure from the Premier League giants after speaking out against then-manager Erik ten Hag.

As one of the handful of players rightly in the conversation for the greatest player of all time, the Portugal captain wasn't shy when admitting his credentials stand tall above anyone else in the history of the sport. "I think I'm the most complete player there has ever been," Ronaldo said. "That's my opinion. It could be a question of taste, but I think it's me. I do everything in football. I head well, I take set pieces well, I shoot well with my left foot, I'm fast, I'm strong, I jump." While he did pay tribute to Messi and other footballing greats, he declared himself as the best with total conviction.

"Taste is one thing, saying this, that or that, whether you prefer Messi, Pele or Maradona, I hear it and I respect it, but to say that Cristiano isn't complete is a lie. I'm the most complete. I don't see anyone better than me, and I tell you that with all my heart.". Since his move to Saudi Arabia in 2023, Ronaldo has had to contend with critics of the quality of the nation's league, which the striker has fought staunchly against. While addressing those who've criticised the Saudi Pro League, he said: "People talk too much and give opinions without knowing.".

While he didn't mention Messi by name, he did take a subtle jab at the Inter Miami forward when he answered whether he felt the Pro League was superior to the MLS. "Obviously, obviously, obviously," he said. "But because it’s Saudi Arabia, people look down on it a bit more," he claimed. "But I also know that the people who talk don’t know what they’re saying. Only those who play here, only those who are in the league, know. You have to give it the credit it deserves.".

Having played under the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, and Max Allegri, Ronaldo certainly has had the premier experience of top football coaches leading him. However, he did reveal that he endured some not-so-great managers in his career when he said: "I learned from all my coaches. I had some really bad ones. Guys who don't have a f***ing clue about football.". While he didn't delve into details, some fans on social media believed he was talking about Ten Hag, given their tumultuous relationship. In late 2022, Ronaldo left United after telling Piers Morgan that he didn't respect the Dutchman.

"The coach didn't have respect for me," Ronaldo previously said. "So this is why the relationship, it's in that way. He keep saying in the press that he come to me, he like me blah, blah, blah, but that is only for the press, 100 per cent. If you don’t have respect for me, I'm never going to have respect for you.". Ronaldo was a massive target for top clubs during his time at Sporting Lisbon with the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, and Juventus interested in signing the then-18-year-old. However, one team the Portuguese superstar revealed he almost signed for before moving to Old Trafford was Barcelona.

"I could have signed for Barca when I was playing for Sporting Lisbon," he told El Chiringuito. "I was with someone from the club and they wanted to sign me, but it didn't happen. They wanted to sign me that year and join them the following year. But Manchester wanted me for that year.". Ronaldo would have seen himself become a teammate of Messi, who made his senior debut for the Spanish Giants in what became his second season at Manchester United, had he joined the Spanish giants.

He touched on his former club, Real Madrid, and Kylian Mbappe, telling fans to "take care" of the Frenchman, who has endured a tricky start to life at the Santiago Bernabeu. The World Cup winner has played much of his debut campaign as a striker, as opposed to his preferred left-wing position, which is occupied by Vinicius Jr. The 26-year-old has since bounced back from his early struggles and currently has 22 goals in 34 games this season. "Take care of him. Take care of him. I tell the Real Madrid fans... Take care of the kid," said Ronaldo, who urged Los Blancos to teach Mbappe to play as a number nine.

"The position of striker makes it a little bit difficult for Mbappe, because he doesn't know how to play as a striker in my opinion... It's not that he doesn't know, it's not his position," he told the reigning La Liga champions. "If I was at Real Madrid, I would teach him how to play as a No.9. Because I wasn't a striker. I got used to playing as a striker. I used to play on the wing and people forget.".