Barcelona star Lionel Messi says that he does not want to be compared to Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, or anyone else.
Messi, 28, is the world’s best player having picked up the 2015 Ballon d’Or ahead of Ronaldo and his Barcelona teammate Neymar.
However, the Argentine is not keen to get involved in the debate over who is the best, and insisted that he prefers to focus on his own game.
“The press looks to compare among other things. All I want is to help my team to grow each season,” Messi told Egyptian TV station MBC, in quotes reported by Sport.
“I don’t compare myself to Cristiano nor to anyone. I only try to think of me, of my team-mates and win games.”
Messi will take on Ronaldo head-to-head in El Clasico next week and the forward claims that trying to win La Liga is always difficult for Barcelona when Real Madrid are around.
“They [Real Madrid] have great players,” he added. “They have always had impressive stars and it’s one of the best teams in the world.
“They are always a complicated rival and against them, we always find it difficult to beat them in the Spanish league. There is a lot of competition and we try to do it better.”
