I’m a better player than Lionel Messi, says Ronaldo

Silva optimistic he will join PSG

REAL Madrid striker, Cristiano Ronaldo, said he believed he was a better player than FC Barcelona’s Leo Messi in an interview published in Spanish sports paper, Marca.

Ronaldo was giving one of his first interviews since vetoing the press after his controversial 30th birthday party in February, which came following a 4-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid, Xinhua news agency reported.

“If you look at my last eight years, I have been on top. Name any other players who have done that,” he said.

“If you are number one or not, is a question of details, if you win titles or not, but although some people may think Messi to be the best, I think that I am.”

Ronaldo said boos from rival supporters don’t upset him, but have the opposite effect.

“I need an enemy, it’s part of the game and I have been booed since I was 18 or 19, it’s not a problem, it motivates me,” he said.

Ronaldo insisted that hard work was vital to be a top player, but admitted at times he suffered pain for his efforts.

“I feel it every day,” he admitted, saying a body “was not accustomed” to training hard and playing twice a week.

He said he had adapted his life to ensure he was in top condition, saying that when in the past he would have gone out, now he “goes home to recover and be better the following date.”

“Football is my life. It’s what I love most,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Thiago Silva says he believes Ronaldo will join Paris Saint-Germain in the near future.

The Real Madrid talisman has long been linked with a move to the super-rich Ligue 1 side as he continues to have a strained relationship with his own side’s fans.

Ronaldo added fuel to the speculation by whispering something in the ear of PSG coach Laurent Blanc after their Champions League meeting on Tuesday.

And Thiago Silva feels a move is imminent and says the Portuguese attacker would settle in well in the French capital as he already speaks the language.

“I do not know (if Ronaldo will sign) but it’s fun playing with such major players,” he told RMC. “Ronaldo is the best player in the world. If the club wants him, of course the PSG squad would be happy.

“He is a very good player, technically essential for all teams in the world and especially for PSG, who have a big dream to win the Champions League with great players.

“I think Ronaldo will come. I do not know what happened with Blanc after the game because he did not say but I hope (there were positive talks between the two).

“He speaks French very well, perhaps better than me, and if it happens next year he will have no difficulty speaking with the media.”