Former Barcelona player says he had to lie and say the world's best was Messi, not Ronaldo

For years, the biggest question in world soccer was whether Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo was the best player on the planet. Especially when the Argentine star shone for Barcelona while the Portuguese played for Real Madrid.

Even now, when both are spending their sunset years outside Europe, they continue to be subject of comparisons. With Messi in MLS and Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia, people now debate which league is better.

Either way, the question on who was the better player used to be so popular that even other colleagues had to answer it. A former Barca player, in fact, claims the Catalan club forced him to lie by saying Messi was the No. 1 when he thought that tag belonged to Ronaldo.

Kevin-Prince Boateng says he always thought Ronaldo, not Messi, was the world’s best

In an appearance on Rio Ferdinand’s VIBE with FIVE podcast, Kevin-Prince Boateng claimed Barcelona made him lie after joining the club by claiming Messi was the best player on Earth.

“I remember that when I arrived in Barcelona they immediately asked me who the best player in the world was. I had to say it was Lionel Messi, I lied. It was one of the biggest lies of my life,” he said, via the Daily Mail. “Normally I always tell the truth, but I lied because it was the only way to wear the Barcelona shirt. I always supported Real Madrid when I was a teenager. I love Cristiano Ronaldo. But they told me I had to say that, otherwise I wouldn’t play.”

The former Ghana international joined the Spanish side in January 2019 on loan from Sassuolo and made only five appearances for the Blaugrana, celebrating the LaLiga title in his short stint with the club.

Who has more Ballon d’Ors, Messi or Ronaldo?

Lionel Messi holds the record for being the most successful player in Ballon d’Or history, with seven prizes to his name. Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, won the award on five occasions.