Cristiano Ronaldo: 'I am better than Lionel Messi'

Cristiano Ronaldo has gone on record to claim that he is the greatest footballer in the world, and believes that he is better than Lionel Messi.

The 30-year-old is a three-time world footballer of the year, Real Madrid's all-time leading goalscorer and boasts a career total of 504 goals in 760 appearances.

Ronaldo told BBC Sport: "I don't need to say 'I'm in the history of football, I'm a legend'. The numbers say everything.

"In my mind, I'm always the best. I don't care what people think, what they say. In my mind, not just this year but always, I'm always the best.

"Maybe in your opinion Messi is better than me, but in my mind I am better than him. So it's simple."

The Portuguese international has scored 326 goals in 314 matches for Real since his 2009 move from Manchester United.